Memoirs of a Blue Bird
by Narfy
Summary: [Final chapter Up, HORRAY!] The story of The Lion King as told through the eyes of the advisor Zazu. From his hatching to his retirement. Please Read and Review.
1. my hatching

They say some stories are best told by those who witnessed what happened. Most often it's not the hero who does that but someone with a minor role. I am here to tell you about the story of the Lion King. I remember it well mainly because I was the kings advisor, or the majordomo some have called me. But my real name is Zazu and I will be here to tell you of my story from the beginning. From my hatching, to me becoming advisor, to Simba's birth, and to my retirement.

I will tell you what happened during Scar's reign, why I was not really there when Kiara was born and who I chose to become the next advisor. So sit back and relax, I have quite a story to tell you.

* * *

I was born quite a ways from the pride lands. In fact it was so far away that you could not see Pride Rock, that's how far I was from my job when I was born.

My mothers name was Malaika, a kind soul who raised us on our own. My father died before I hatched. She said a hunter got him, she never explained what kind of hunter it was but I could tell she never liked talking about it.

I wasn't the only one born when my mother hatched me; I had two other brothers and a sister. My sister's name was Kalifa, a perfect name for her because it meant "bright" in Swahili and she was often very happy. My brothers had been given the names Azizi and Sule. Azizi liked to pick on us a lot while Sule liked to get in trouble a trait that would cost him in the first year of his life.

I remember the day I hatched quite well, it was early morning and as soon as the first crack in my shell appeared, the first sunlight I had seen also appeared. At first I was frightened by this and it took me a few minutes to decide that the light was harmless and that I could continue my hatching.

Once I was fully out, my mother looked down at me and smiled, of course I had never seen such a large creature before and tried to hide back in my shell. But she uncovered me and started to laugh.

"Don't worry young one, I won't hurt you, I'm your mother," was her first words to me.

"Mother, what's a mother?" I had asked, which was my first sentence too. In case you are wondering, most birds talk starting the first day of their life. How that is possible is too scientific to explain, and I am not very good at explaining scientific stuff. But it has something to do with how the vocal chords develop in the egg and that we can hear our parents talk so we kind of learn while we are still developing, or something along that line. Any way back to the story.

My mother chuckled for a minute before talking again. "Why a mother is someone who cares for you, someone who helps you hatch out of your egg, will tell stories to you, and keeps you away from danger," she said.

"Oh," I had said and since I realized that she was not harmless and was my protector, I proceeded to cuddle beside her.

As soon as I did that though I felt something hit me in the face, causing me to leap up and see what was going on. That was when my brother Azizi popped out.

"Hey get your own mother," he had said to me for the first time before hugging a few feathers of my mother tightly.

"Azizi be nice, this is your new brother who I decided to call Zazu," my mother said.

"Zazu, that's a funny name, it sounds like someone is sneezing," said Azizi.

My mother then gave him a light whack with her wing which caused him to scurry back under her.

"You can sleep wherever you want next to me, Azizi is just being difficult because he found out he had three other siblings," she said.

I smiled and nestled next to her wing where she kept me warm and happy. I did not rest for long though because a few minutes later, another egg cracked. When my next sibling was out, I discovered that I now had a sister who, like I said, was named Kalifa. From the first moment she was born, she had brightness in her eyes that made my mother feel peaceful.

As soon as she saw my mother too, she waddled straight over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. My mother smiled and nudged her for a few seconds before she waddled over to me and smiled.

"So you're my brother huh," she said.

"Yeah, Azizi is under here too," I said as I lifted up my mothers feathers to reveal Azizi who did not look very happy.

"Oh great a sister," he said in an annoyed way.

"Azizi, you need to be nice like I said last time now come on out and say hello," my mother said.

Azizi sighed one of those big sighs young boys make when they don't want to do something and came out from under her.

"Hello," he said unenthusiastically.

"Hi I bet you'll like me sooner or later," said Kalifa.

Azizi just rolled his eyes and went back under our mother's feathers. Kalifa was not fazed at all by this, I guess she already knew a lot about brothers and decided to join me under my mother's wing as we waited for the next brother or sister to hatch.

For some reason Sule took much longer to hatch, at least well into midmorning. When he finally did though, he did it quite fast and was already exploring once his feathers were dry.

"Wow so this is my nest huh, wow I wonder what's down there," he said as he wandered over to the edge and looked down.

My mother freaked out and nearly crushed us first three trying to get him. Once he was in a safe place, she set him down and gave him a small scolding.

"Please do not do that again, you are too young and will fall," she said.

"But I have wings so wouldn't I fly?" asked Sule.

"Not until you're much older, young ones like you cannot fly," said my mother.

"Oh but it looks so fascinating down there," said Sule.

"You will see what it's like down there soon enough, now come and meet your brothers and sister," my mother said.

Sule then turned and saw the three of us standing beside our mother and before we knew it, he was introducing himself.

"Hi guys, I'm Sule and what are your names?" he had asked.

"I'm Zazu," I said

"I'm Kalifa," said Kalifa.

"And I'm Azizi," said Azizi.

"Well I am glad I have brothers and sisters here with me or I know my nest life would be boring without you," said Sule.

I saw Azizi roll his eyes and then look at me as if I did something wrong. "What? I just thought I saw something on that branch over there," Azizi lied. I just ignored him and welcomed my new brother into the world.

"Well I'm glad you hatched Sule and welcome," I had said.

"Yeah you're going to have fun with us," said Kalifa.

Sule just smiled and looked up at my mother who smiled and nudged us under her wing.

"I'm glad you all are happy to meet each other, now I am afraid it is time for bed, I sense you are all tired," she said.

"But I'm not sleepy," said Sule.

"Me either, can't we play for a while longer?" I had asked.

"No, you will have all the time tomorrow to do that, now go to sleep. And if you go to sleep you may wake up to a surprise," said my mother.

"Oh what is it?" asked Kalifa.

"I'm not telling or it will not be a surprise," my mother said.

We all then began to pout for a few minutes before my mother finally sang a short song to us and within minutes, all four of us were sleeping under our moms soft down, dreaming of the days ahead.

* * *

A/N: So what does everyone think of my first chapter? I hope you all liked it. I just thought it would be a good story to tell too since there are not many stories out there where Zazu is the main character. So far it looks like it will be a long story too, about 30 chapters or around that. Also you'll meet the two in his family that managed to ruin a special occasion and a lot more that I don't want to tell you right now. So review and **NO FLAMES**! If you fame you will be flamed back in the next chapter, don't believe me then check out chapter 12 of "Surviving the Stampede" hopefully that will keep you from flaming.

Also I am moving at the end of the month so if I go missing for a long period of time don't be surprised since I will be packing and unpacking and setting the computer at the new place. Well have a great weekend and please review.


	2. Lessons in life

A/N: I forgot to do a disclaimer again so here goes. I do not own the Lion King especially Zazu, I do own the names of his brothers and sister. And a few other characters you never heard of.

Also I have decided to thank everyone before I started each chapter since after Surviving the Stampede made me too tired to thank everyone after the tenth person in my last chapter so here goes.

**Pichooi: **Thanks for the review. You'll meet the two who ruined his special occasion in the next chapter. Good luck with your story as well. For those who have not read it I highly recommend it.

**Katibu:** Thanks for the review. I'm glad you liked the names. I hope you finish your Sarafina story, it's really good and I want to know what happens.

**Sulkenwolfpup: **From now On I am calling you "Silly reviewer" Because I think your reviews are silly. And I thank you for that. Keep it up with those Scar angst fics.

**Sunrise19: **Thanks for the review; I'm glad you liked Zazu's sister, and just so you know she will make appierences when Zazu becomes an advisor, just letting you know.

**Nala5: **Thanks for the review. I did try to review your story but for some reason my computer shut down on me and what's really weird was that it did that all the other times I reviewed too, and it drove me nuts. Sorry if you did not get it, it was a nice chapter.

**Clara200: **Thanks for the review, well reviews actually since you reviewed three others, I'm glad you like Zazu.

**Nekoinnuhanyou: **Wow that is a mouthful. Thanks for the review.

**The Dishwasher: **Thanks for the review; I'm glad you like it so far. Keep up the good work with that Sarabi story, it is so wonderfully written. If none of you reviewers have read her story I suggest you go do so.

Now on with the story.

* * *

I'm guessing that the hatching really wore us out because by the time all four of us were up, it was morning. I found myself in a very strange and awkward position when I opened my eyes. I seemed to be sandwiched between my two brothers. Azizi was on top of me but I some how got one of my legs on top of his back while the other was tucked underneath me. Sule was on the bottom but some how still managed to get drool on one of my wings that had lodged itself under his head. Kalifa had woken up a few minutes before us without waking us up so she must have been sleeping by herself.

I of course was the first to awaken from the weird angle and nearly freaked out when I noticed that my wing was now wet with saliva. At first I tried to move my wing out from under Sule but he seemed to have a death grip on it. Finally I did the only thing I could do, I yelled in his ear.

"Sule, get off my wing!" I yelled.

Luckily I was loud enough to make him wake up but I should not have done it so loud because a second later he jumped in fright causing me to also jump in fright and hit Azizi square in the face. Azizi then let out a loud squawk and hit his head on my mother's leg since of course we were under her. Azizi then rubbed his head and looked at me and my brother angrily.

"What did I ever do to you?" he asked and then jumped on me and started pecking me while I tried to defend myself. Sule was about to stop the fight when our mother got up and stopped the fight for him.

"Stop it you two or I will be forced to separate you," she said.

Azizi stopped what he was doing to me and looked up at our mother with innocent eyes. "Oh mother we were just playing," he said.

"No we weren't, you were trying to kill me because I ran into you by accident," I said.

"Oh you are such a tattletale," said Azizi.

"I was about to retaliate when my mother stopped me. "Enough arguments you two, my goodness only a day old an already squabbling like two old parrots, now say your sorry Azizi," said my mother.

Azizi looked at me with shyness and guilt and it took him a while to actually say he was sorry, and when he did, I could tell that he meant it.

My mother smiled and then began to speak. "Now then, remember how I promised you all a surprise when you woke up?" she asked.

We all nodded happily.

"Well it was one, now its two. First here is your breakfast," said my mother who then revealed a leaf to us that had a nice variety of berries sitting on it. We all squealed with joy and ran over to the food where we began to devour it as fast as we cold. Even Kalifa, who seemed to act like miss manners, was eating as fast as she could. My mother watched us gorge on the food for a few minutes before finally pushing us away from the food.

"Okay that's enough you four, I don't want any sick bellies," she said as she pushed the leaf aside and put some of the nest over what was left of the berries.

"That was good Mom," I said.

"Yeah it was, thank you," said Kalifa. As you can see Kalifa had the best manners right from the start.

"So what's the other surprise you are giving us?" asked Sule.

"Well I would like you all to meet your new baby sitter when I am out finding food for you four. This is your grandfather," said my mother who then stepped aside to reveal an old hornbill whose blue feathers had turned gray from age. He had a small smile on his face and he looked friendly, yet we were not about to go up quite yet and hid behind our mother.

"I see they like me already," said our grandfather with a chuckle. His name was Badu but the family rarely called him that unless they wanted to address him.

"Come on out guys, he won't hurt you, he raised me and he is going to help raise you," said my mother.

We all peeked shyly behind our mother and saw our grandfather waving at us happily yet we were not sure what to make of him until Sule decided to break the ice.

Sule then slowly hopped over to our grandfather and looked up at him. Our grandfather smiled and gave him a happy hello.

"Hello," said Sule shyly who then looked down at his claws.

"Oh don't be afraid, I won't bite, I used to but I'm too old for that now," said our grandfather.

That made Kalifa laugh and a few minutes later she hopped on over to greet him.

"I'm Kalifa, that right there is Sule, the two behind mom is Zazu and Azizi," said Kalifa.

"You gave your children such beautiful names Malaika, too bad their father is not here to see them," said grandpa.

"I know, he would have loved them but I am glad you are still around to help so I won't have to worry about them falling out of the nest while I am gone. Do you think you can take care of them for about an hour while I stretch my wings a little and find more food?" my mother asked.

"I don't mind one bit, you go and have fun, stay as long as you like, I need to teach these kids about life around them," said Grandfather.

"Thanks Dad, if they get in trouble just put them in time out," said my mother who then flew off in the distance. We watched her go before our grandfather started to talk.

"So you four don't mind if I teach you things?" he asked.

"Well it beats sitting in the nest all day from boredom," said Azizi.

"Well then lets see here," said our grandfather as he looked about the savanna wondering what he wanted to talk about until he saw a lone cheetah walking in the distance. "You see that creature down there with the spots?" he asked.

We all looked in the direction where he was pointing and saw the lone cheetah; it was not looking up at us but was more focused on a nearby gazelle herd. "Yeah I see him, can we meet him?" asked Sule.

"Oh heavens no, that there children is a carnivore, it will kill and eat you for its supper and it's a fast runner which means you will have to watch him when he is nearby or he will eat you before you even have a chance to fly," said our grandfather.

"What's he doing now?" I asked.

"He's hunting, and those gazelle over there will be his meal, sometimes he's not successful though and has to try again. And that could take hours," said our grandfather.

"Why is he not successful sometimes?" asked Kalifa.

"Because usually the animals he eats are the ones that are sick and sometimes he misjudges the animals and thinks they are sick until he finds out that they are much faster than he thought," said our grandfather.

We were all silent as we watched the cheetah slowly stalk the gazelle. It seemed like hours to us before he finally made his move and went straight at the herd. The herd then began to split and a minute later we saw a young gazelle running as fast as it could away from the cheetah. But it was too late, a few seconds later the cheetah brought it down and the young gazelle let out a piercing death call throughout the savanna.

"Oh how horrible, I can't look any more," said Kalifa who then hid her head under our grandfathers feathers.

"I thought you said they only go after the sick, why did it go after a baby, it looked healthy to me," said Azizi.

"Sometimes they go after the young too, but that's only to keep the gazelle in balance, if it did not go after a young gazelle then the heard would grow large and eat all the grass and die of starvation, he maintains the herd so that won't happen. Its all part of a circle known as the great circle of life," said our grandfather.

"Really, what's that like?" I asked.

"Well you see the circle of life starts out at birth, it goes on into childhood which you guys are experiencing now, and then it moves on to adulthood which your mother is in. Then your circle changes when you fall in love because then you start a new circle with your own child from the person you loved the most. Then once your child has grown up, you experience old age like me and then the next step which I will experience but hopefully not for a while, death," said our grandfather.

"What's that?" asked Azizi.

"Well death is where you go to sleep and never wake up again, kinda like that young gazelle out there," said our grandfather.

We were all silent for a moment, unsure of what to think about all that, until Azizi decided to break the silence.

"So are there any other animals that will eat us, besides that cheetah?" he asked.

"Oh yes, lots, including lions, jackals, hyenas, leopards, and foxes. I will show them to you whenever they pass by here just to give you a heads up," said grandfather.

We all began to ask him questions about everything we wanted to know and after about two hours of learning all that we could, we still had a lot more to ask, our mother came home with some more fruit. We invited our grandfather to stay and eat with us but he told us he had other things he needed to take care of. That was alright with us though, we knew he would be back again soon to tell us all we needed to know, and we could not wait.

* * *

A/N: Yay I finally finished this chapter and it took me two weeks. Shows how busy I've been. I've been having to do way too many papers in college and I cannot wait for it to be over which will be in two weeks. So I will probably not even put up the next chapter until two weeks from now since we are moving next week and the week after that I have finals. But any way sorry if this chapter was boring to you, I just thought it was cool for them to have a grandfather teach them the meaning of life and everything. He'll be with us for a few more chapters too before Zazu has to go out on his own. And so far this story is going to be about 33 chapters, just warning you. Well please review and have a great weekend. 


	3. Ruining the occasion

Yay its chapter three but first I want to thank all the reviewers who reviewed my last chapter.

**Nekoinnuhanyou: **Thanks for that review; I'm glad you thought that.

**Nala5: **Thanks for the review and thanks for wishing me luck on my move and finals. We are finished with moving but sadly I have finals until next Tuesday, I wish it was this week. I will also try to read that story you recommended to me.

**Pichooi: **Thanks for the review, I hope you get your schoolwork done, I bet you can't wait for summer either.

**Katibu: **Thanks for the review and no the grandfather is not an advisor at all, I think he just wanted to go see some lady friends wink wink. I'll try to read your "Innocent Prisoner" story soon too.

**Sunrise19: **Thanks for the review and I will try to explain why he and Simba were not the best of friends

**The Dishwasher: **Thanks for the review; I'm glad you like it so far.

**Morpheus Dreamer: **Thanks for the input, I will try to make him sound more English, I just have trouble with accents sometimes, it's the hardest thing for me when writing a story. And I also see you wrote center as centre, that's so cool. I'll try to read your story soon as well.

**Maran Zelde: **Thanks for the review, and like I told Morpheus Dreamer, I apologize for his accent and will try to make him sound more English. Also about the regurgitation thing, I actually was not thinking about that I must be used to seeing robins in pictures giving their chicks insects. It would have made an interesting story line; I just wish I would have thought of that earlier.

Well on with the story.

* * *

A week had passed, we had not grown much but our knowledge of the world grew as our grandfather told us many facts of life and stories he had heard when he was younger. Many of his stories were so fascinating that we all could not wait to learn to fly just to see if legends were true or just to see if it was true that bats were not birds.

When our grandfather was not around, we would just sit in the nest and tell our mother about the things we learned that day. My mother would often sound as if she had never heard about those things before but now that I am older I realized she was only doing that to humor us. It was not a bad thing because at least she listened.

The bond between me and my siblings though were not very strong. But of course we were only chicks and any young creature would agree that siblings always have to get into fights and usually for no particular reason. The bond between Kalifa and I was strong though. She took care of me when I was feeling upset after a loosing argument with Azizi or just to have someone her own age to talk to. Because of our bond, we would remain contacted with each other even after we left the nest, but I will give you more on that later.

I may be getting ahead of myself but I must say that Azizi was an interesting character to deal with, and the more I look back on our sibling rivalry, I began to notice that he was a lot like Scar the lion who took over after his brother and nephew were killed in a stampede. He seemed to be jealous of mine and Kalifa's bond and would often mock us and say that we acted like a married couple. He would even strut around and act as if life was not perfect for him. But of course he was first hatched so maybe that had something to do with. But because of his ways, I lost contact with him a few months after I flew off on my own. I still have no idea if he is alive or not.

Sule was a different matter altogether. He had to be in his own little world. I would often find him just sitting on the edge of the nest and watching all the animals walk by. Sometimes he would call me over and ask what I thought a cloud looked like. His imagination was so vivid too, sometimes to me a cloud would just look like another cloud, but he would claim to see fluffy animals, a lion leg, or even one of us. I would also often find him just sitting by himself in the nest looking like he was somewhere else entirely. I would often wave my wing at him to get his attention and then he would come back to the world acting as if nothing had happened. And he always dreamed of adventure, he could not wait to leave the nest just so he could travel the Serengeti. It was quite fascinating really, but of course as I told you before, it would cost him his life, but I will tell you about that later.

An interesting memory I had was a week after I had hatched. It was sort of humorous yet embarrassing at the same time. I remember our grandfather was telling us about the great Mt. Kilimanjaro when our mother returned home looking angry and upset.

"What's wrong Malaika, insects hard to find today?" my grandfather had asked.

"No even worse, I ran into Dacia today, you know that cousin of mine always wanting to get involved with things. I made the mistake of telling her that I have a new batch of chicks, so now she wants a party and she's bringing some of the family, including her two sons Kato and Ban'ai. You know Kato and how he likes to get into things and steal them. And I hope you know how Ban'ai is, I hope his parents are rotting in their grave for doing that to Dacia," said my mother.

"Oh yes I know all about Ban'ai, the cuckoo who thinks he's a hornbill, that boy needs to get it through his thick head that he is not one of us, and he only thinks he is small because of a birth defect. Ha! It's only because he is a cuckoo a bird much smaller than us," said our grandfather.

"Oh why did this have to happen?" asked my mother who looked as if she was about to have a mental breakdown.

Of course Sule had to interrupt them. "Uh Grandpa, what's a cuckoo?" he asked.

"Why a cuckoo is a bird that is too lazy to care for the young themselves and leave the eggs in the nests of other birds. Once the young one hatches it kicks the rest of the young out where they perish on the ground. It is quite annoying because I experienced it in my younger years, luckily the chick did not last a day and that's exactly what Dacia should have done," said Grandpa.

My mother began to pace back and forth wondering what to do while we sat there watching her. We had never been through this type of problem so we were not sure what to make of the problem but just go along with it.

"When are they coming?" asked Grandpa.

"Any minute, she said she would come as soon as she was done with lunch," said our mother.

"So I guess hiding is out of the question," said Grandpa.

"But I don't understand what the problem is," I had said.

"You dummy, mom just said that they were horrible, they are probably coming to steal our nest and replace us with cuckoos," said Azizi.

"Azizi be nice, its not that, they just don't obey my rules and leave the place a mess by the time the sun sets," said our mother.

"And it looks like that mess is flying over here right now with three of them. I can see Ban'ai and Kato but I don't know who the other one is," said Grandpa.

My mother flew over beside him and looked before she calmed down slightly. "That's Talib. I am surprised you did not recognize Talib, that's her mate, he does not talk much and is sometimes stern so maybe he can control his two sons" said my mother.

"Oh now that I see better I do recognize him," said Grandpa.

A few seconds later, we saw four birds arrive and perch on the edge of the nest. I recognized Dacia immediately because like the meaning of her name (Purple Flower) she was purple and almost looked like a flower because she was quite pretty especially from someone her age. I then recognized Ban'ai; he was green and about a foot shorter than everyone else. He had a white stomach and a little bit of white above his eye that looked like eyebrows. We all then hid behind our mother as Dacia began to speak.

"So these are your new chicks I see," said Dacia.

"Yes they are," said my mother as she pushed us over for Dacia to see. "This is Kalifa, Sule, Azizi, and Zazu."

Dacia and the rest looked at us quizzically before speaking again. "What lovely children they are, they look well fed, and I see they will produce beautiful offspring for you," she said.

"That one right there looks like he just got into a fight with a lion," said Ban'ai who was pointing at Sule who I forgot to mention had feathers on his head that gave him a wild look.

"Ban'ai be nice," said Talib who then slapped him in the back of the head.

Ban'ai rubbed his head and looked at his step father angrily before turning back at us.

I saw my mother give an angry look at Ban'ai before speaking. "Well I welcome you to my nest feel free to sit down and have some berries," she said as she pointed to a corner with some berries on it.

Suddenly like lightening, Kato and Ban'ai flapped over and devoured the berries in less than a minute. They did it so fast that juice went flying everywhere and when they were done, they both leaned against the tree trunk looking very full.

"Great now I have to go back out and get more," said my mother.

"Oh don't worry about it, I'm not hungry any way," said Dacia.

"Well I bet my chicks are," said my mother in an annoyed voice.

"Well then someone should go get more and it won't be you since this is your place and you don't have to work to appease us, I say Badu should go," said Dacia who then looked over at my grandfather who just sneered.

"Fine I'm going, I see no point in hanging out here any way," he said before flying off into the savanna.

We all watched them leave before Dacia turned to my mother. "Did you see the face he made and what he said to me, some father figure he is to the chicks," said Dacia.

My mother ignored the comment and began to talk about other things while we had the pleasure of talking to Kato and Ban'ai and both seemed to be more interested in the things around us.

"Oh look at this nice rock, I bet it would go great in that hangout near the river eh Ban'ai," said Kato.

"Oh yeah especially if you put it halfway in the river and sticking halfway out," said Ban'ai.

Kato just smiled and hid it under his wing. I had to object. "Hey that was our fathers, he gave that to us to make the nest look nicer than it is," I said.

"Oh la de da, I bet you won't do anything about it," said Kato.

"Yeah you're nothing but a flightless chick," said Ban'ai.

I grumbled under my breath before I cried for my mother who came flying over instantly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Kato stole the rock Dad gave us," I said.

My mother turned to Kato who retaliated. "I only wanted to hold it, I was not going to take it," said Kato who then tossed it back into the nest.

My mother sighed and said nothing before flying back Dacia while Kato and Ban'ai looked at me angrily.

"You're such a tattletale," said Ban'ai.

"Well it's not nice to steal," I said.

"Well it's not nice to tell on someone either you little brat," said Kato.

"Hey you be nice to him or our mom will never let you two come back here again," said Kalifa who stood in front of me trying to protect me from the two bullies.

"Oh we're really scared," said Kato.

"Yeah let a little girl scare us I bet she is more powerful than us," said Ban'ai.

Ban'ai and Kato then began to circle Kalifa and I calling us 'tattlers' and 'whiney babies' I was about to retaliate when Azizi stepped in a pecked Kato as hard as he could in the leg. Kato let out a loud squawk that was heard through the whole nest causing Dacia and my mother to come over and investigate.

"What happened here?" asked my mother.

"Your son just pecked at me for no reason," said Kato.

"He was making fun of Kalifa and Zazu," said Azizi.

"No I was not," said Kato.

"Were too," said Azizi.

"Enough, Azizi, do that again and I am putting you in time out, the rest of you be nice. This is supposed to be a nice family day, not enemy day," said my mother who then flew back with Dacia to talk some more.

Kato then gave us all a sly look before grabbing a colorful feather from a friend of my mothers and hiding it under his wing like he did with the rock.

"Tell on any one and I will wring your neck," he said.

We all stayed silent while we watched them take some things that belonged to us while they both gave us angry looks.

"I have more food," said our grandfather who came back with a whole bunch of food for us.

He set it down next to us before leaving and hopped over to talk to Dacia's husband. We were all about to get some of the food when Ban'ai and Kato suddenly attacked all the food again, making an even bigger mess. When they were finally done, only four berries were left, one for each of us and this made Azizi mad.

"Wow you two are so kind and you know I don't care if I am punished because you both deserve it," said Azizi who then pecked both Kato and Ban'ai as hard as he could on the leg. Both birds squawked in pain and again caused my mother and everyone else to investigate.

"What happened now?" asked my mother.

"They ate all our food and only left enough for each of us," said Azizi.

"And he pecked us in the leg, now I'll probably get gangrene and die," said Kato.

"Yeah that little brat needs to be taught some manners," said Ban'ai.

"And so do you two too," said our grandfather.

Dacia gasped at my grandfather and gave him an angry look. "Are you saying that my sons are undisciplined?" she asked.

"Yes," was all my grandfather said.

Talib stared at my grandfather angrily. "How dare you say that, you owe us an apology," he said.

"No I don't, and you know I've been wanting to say this for years and I think its time I said it. You two are lousy parents, you act like Kato is an angel but I see him take things and make fun of others for no reason and you act like this cuckoo is your son even though he pushed your original eggs out of the nest when he hatched that makes him a murderer," said our grandfather.

Both Dacia and Talib stood there in shock before turning to my mother. "You should kick him out of the nest for saying that and find these chicks a better father figure than that….that…..that old thing," said Dacia.

"No you should be the one kicked out of the nest, Badu is smart and the chicks love him and I see that you guys are a bad influence, now get out and don't come back until you teach those brats some manners," said my mother angrily.

Dacia and Talib stared at her in amazement before finally giving her the cold shoulder and without another word, they flew off.

"Very good Malaika, I know you have wanted to do that for years," said our grandfather.

"I have and I am glad Azizi did that," said Malaika.

"So I'm not in trouble?" asked Azizi.

"No, now go play with your siblings while I talk to your grandfather," said my mother.

Azizi turned back to us and smiled. "Even though we still have our tussles, I still need to protect you guys but that still won't stop me from making fun of you two," he said before grabbing his berry and went to a place to be alone and ate it.

I then looked at Kalifa who just smiled at me and then at Sule who had been quiet the whole time, he said nothing but smiled as well. We knew that we were all a good team, but it would take a few months before our bonds would become stronger.

* * *

A/N: Yay chapter 3 is done! I hoped you liked that and for those of you who have read Surviving the Stampede I bet you were surprised to see Ban'ai, I thought it would be fun to have him come back for a chapter, and you will not see him again so don't worry. Well chapter 4 will be up next week since this semester is over so please review and I will see you next week. 


	4. Learning to Fly

A/N: Well time to move on to chapter four but first its time to thank the reviewers.

**Sunrise19: **Yeah Ban'ai was a brat in this story, since he's a made up character of mine I decided to mess around with his personality. And as you can see he is still annoying but a lot meaner. And he thinks he's a hornbill which was not something he thought about in Surviving the Stampede. Any way thanks for the review, yay summer is here!

**Maran Zelde: **Thanks for the review and I'm glad I did the dialects a little better. And since you said that you are going to check out my Redwall and Mulan fics, please do not read "I'm Her Guardian" It's probably one of my worst. Well thanks again.

**Katibu: **I'm glad you like Azizi. Thanks for the review.

**Pichooi: **Thanks for the review and for wishing me luck on the finals even though I know I did crap on my history and math. And this might be a stupid question to ask but I really want to know. Since you guys have winter during June, July, and August do you still get a vacation or do you wait until your summer which is in December, January, and February? Just curious.

**MorpheusDreamer: **Thanks for the review; I am glad the voices sound good to you. Hey I think that rhymed.

Also I thought I should start some chapters with a song that kinda go with the meaning of the chapter. Just thought I would let you know about that.

Now on with the story.

* * *

Well some say life will beat you down

Break your heart, steal your crown

So I've started out, for God knows where

I guess I'll know when I get there

I'm learning to fly, around the clouds,

But what goes up must come down

I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings

Coming down is the hardest thing

Learning to Fly-Tom Petty

The first month of our lives was not very thrilling seeing as we were stuck in the tree the entire time learning what we could from our grandfather. But as the days wore on we began to yearn for the outside world.

It was one beautiful sunny morning when my siblings and I had joined Sule in his own little world by watching everything outside the nest. We were so in tuned to our day dreaming that we did not see our grandfather fly over to us and land next to us until he tapped Azizi on the shoulder.

"What are you kids watching out there?" asked our grandfather.

Azizi screamed and fell on top of me before he realized that it was just our grandfather. Our grandfather laughed at us for jumping up like that before Azizi answered.

"Don't ever do that to us again Grandpa," said Azizi.

"I'll try not too, I did not realize you all were daydreaming," said Grandfather.

"That's okay, we all just really want to explore the outside world now," said Kalifa giving our grandfather the look of wanting to join him for a nice flying time.

"Well you are all in luck, this is the perfect time for you all to be ready because today I am going to teach you four how to fly," said Grandfather.

Our eyes widened when we heard the words "Fly" and "Teach." Our mother had told us that when this happened our lives would be starting and soon we could leave the nest.

"So does this mean we will be adults tomorrow?" asked Sule.

Our grandfather laughed before continuing. "No, it will be a few weeks for that since you need to practice and let your wings develop or you will never make it out there," he said.

Sule looked like he was now disheartened by what he heard and began to slouch.

"I'll bet a few weeks will be over before you know it and then you will never want to leave your mother," said our grandfather.

"I know I won't be like that," said Azizi puffing up his chest. I poked it with one of my feathers and he deflated instantly.

"Just wait and see, any way who wants to go first," said our grandfather who then pointed to where we would take off from. It was a long branch that held the nest together and was perfect for getting a head start on takeoff.

"Me first!" cried Azizi who then stepped in front of grandfather waiting for him to tell him what to do.

"All right then Azizi. First let me show you how it's done. First you take a running head start and then you spread your wings into a straight line and let go of the branch. To stay aloft you find air pockets and try to stay upwind with them," said our grandfather who flew around us and showing us how it was done.

Grandfather landed a few seconds later next to Azizi and gave him a slight nudge. "Now go ahead and try, I will be behind you the entire time," he said.

Azizi showed no fear and began his running start. A second later we saw him spread his wings and let go of the branch. I knew he was trying his best to show off because a second later he tried to stay up but kept falling. Our grandfather had to keep him up so he could take him back to the nest so he would not fall all the way down.

"I see you are trying to show off, don't do that it will just cause you to fall and make you feel like a fool. Now try again but this time think about what might happen to you and not whatever everyone else will think of you," said Grandfather.

Azizi said nothing and puffed up his chest again before running forward. This time he let go of the branch and hovered in the air for a few seconds trying to fly. Our grandfather flew beside him and smiled.

"I can't do it," said Azizi.

"Yes you can, you are already mastering your first flight by hovering it actually takes a few tries to actually fly," said our grandfather.

"How am I going to get back to the nest now?" asked Azizi.

"I'll fly beside you and nudge you back," said our grandfather who then helped Azizi back to the nest.

Once Azizi was back in the nest, he smiled at us, he was proud to say that he was the first to fly out of us siblings even though it was more like hovering.

"Okay who wants to be next," asked our grandfather.

"I'll try," said Kalifa who then stepped forward.

"Alright then Kalifa, remember what I told you and I will be beside you," said Grandfather.

"We watched as Kalifa took a running start and then glided off the branch. She was able to stay in the air for a few seconds before she lost an air pocket and started to fall. Grandfather caught her rather quickly and helped her fly back to the nest.

"Not bad, that's a lot like how I tried to fly for the first time," he said.

Kalifa said nothing and walked back to the nest and started to watch me try and fly. I of course was very nervous about my first try. I did my head start okay but when I got to the edge, I thought I was hovering in the air but instead I was still hanging on the branch. I had looked down to see how I was doing but I somehow became afraid of heights. I wanted to run back but I was so scared that I clung to the branch. I could hear my brothers laughing at me and it made me feel sick to my stomach that this had to happen to me.

"Zazu are you okay?" asked my grandfather who was now beside me.

"No, I can't do it, and now I will be considered the chicken of the nest because I'm too scared," I said with tears in my eyes.

"Don't think that, this happened to one of your uncles and after a few tries, he was actually the best flyer out of the nest for a few days," said Grandfather.

"But what if I'm not like one of my uncles, what if I never learn to fly and I will be stuck walking on the ground like an ostrich," I cried.

"You just need more confidence in yourself, now get back up and start over, I will be right beside you," said Grandfather.

Slowly I crawled back to the nest where my siblings stood there waiting. Azizi smirked at me, he knew I did not do well on my first try and he felt proud of that.

I tried again, I took a running start and then lifted myself off the branch as hard as I could, this time I felt myself flying and as I looked down I noticed that I was and I gave a big sigh of relief.

"You did it!" said my grandfather happily.

I just smiled as my grandfather helped me back to the nest. I felt a sense of pride in me and when I returned I could tell that Azizi was not too happy with my accomplishment.

Sule came next, he was a different matter altogether. As soon as he let go, he tried to flap his wings and instead he ended up plummeting toward the ground, my grandfather had to go and rescue him before he landed. Poor Sule came back looking like he had lost something dear to him and did not try to fly again until our grandfather had to force him to.

We spent all day learning to fly; it was a wonderful experience too. At first we were all nervous but once we got the hang of everything, we found it to be quite fun. I found that hovering was always the best thing to learn first and that gliding and flapping wings takes time. It took me about two days to master those two techniques.

Of course our mother was too nervous to watch us try and fly so while we did that she had been out hunting for insects and other delicious treats. When she finally came home before sundown, she had the look of happiness when she arrived.

"I see they are all still here in one piece," she said.

"Yes, they were very good pupils too, it took them a while to get the hang of it but I think we will have graduates by the end of the week," said our grandfather.

"Wonderful! Thank you for teaching them, I was just so afraid I would loose one of them if I taught them," said my mother.

"Your welcome and I am glad I could help, well I best be off, I'm hungry," said my grandfather who then flew off.

We watched him go until he was a mere speck in the distance. My mother then turned to us and smiled.

"Well how did you like flying?" she asked.

"It was hard at first but I think we will be experts in no time," I said enthusiastically.

"That's good, I am glad you all had fun," said my mother as we all began to get comfortable under her wings.

"How long will it be before we leave the nest after we are experts?" asked Azizi.

"Maybe a few weeks, it all depends on how well you do," said my mother.

"But I'm not ready to leave you yet," said Kalifa.

"Oh you never will, there's always a chance that we will keep in touch," said my mother.

"But what if we live far away?" asked Sule.

"We will have to see about that, now go to sleep you have another long day ahead" said my mother.

I gave a big yawn after my mother had said that and after a few minutes I was sound asleep, dreaming of flying and having many adventures.

* * *

A/N: Yay its chapter four. I hope you all liked it and I hope my accents are still okay. Chapter five I hope to have up next week so don't miss it. Also I am asking you all for a favor. I have a friend on this site whose pen name is Lady Mia Starstriker. She has written two really good fics, a Lord of the rings and a Dragonheart. So if any of you like those movies please read them and review them, it will mean a lot to her because no one reads her stories and I always feel bad for her. Well see you all later. 


	5. Flying Through the Rain

Yay Chapter five is here for everyone to enjoy! Time to thank the reviewers.

**Nala5: **Thanks for both of those reviews; I hope you can find that song because it is really good; hell all of Tom Petty's songs are good, especially American Girl. And like Zazu said in the first chapter, his father was killed by a hunter. You can use your imagination on what kind of hunter since I thought that was kind of a good idea. So it could have been a human hunter, a leopard hunter, a hawk, who knows.

**Katibu: **I'm glad you liked the lyrics, are you a Tom Petty fan too, if not try to find one of his cds and listen to it, they are so good. Sule was okay after that incident but the next time he might not be so lucky.

**MorpheusDreamer:** Thank you so much for putting me in your favorite authors list! I'm so happy. I'm glad you liked the grandfather; I have a nice little speech for him to make to Zazu before he leaves for good, which will be in the next chapter. And you're missing out on a good movie, Dragonheart is one of those stories you never get tired of especially since Sean Connery does the voice of the dragon.

**Sunrise19: **Thanks for the review; I think Zazu is going to meet Mufasa in the 8th or 9th chapter, not totally sure though.

Now on to my happy chapter.

* * *

Sometimes it's hard to relive terrible memories of your past, especially when it involves a member of the family. I can almost remember like it was yesterday. It had been a week since we had learned to fly and since we could almost fly like any pro, our mother let us explore the world around us, just as long as we did not go too far or get lost.

One the first two days of flying around the savanna, we did not get into too much trouble. I got into a fight with Azizi after he called me "Banana Beak," I still have no idea why everyone thinks my beak looks like a banana, it looks like any other hornbill beak. Any way, we rolled in the mud for a few minutes, pecking at each other and calling each other different names that I would never want to repeat again. Luckily our grandfather stopped the tussle when he saw us as he flew overhead to see how we were doing.

On the third day we spent a few hours following the migrating Zebra through the savanna until they came to a watering hole. We watched them for a few hours before we decided to fly over to a large mound that had grown out of the earth from erosion and perch from there, just so we could see the savanna from an interesting angle.

"Wow it's so beautiful isn't it!" said Sule, it was actually his idea too.

"Yeah I like how you can see the whole savanna and how the watering hole looks all sparkly," said Kalifa.

"And you can see that there is a storm coming our way," I said

"Hey that's neat, we have never flown through a storm before," said Sule

"But do you think it's safe to do so?" I asked.

"Don't be a chicken, it's only a storm, all you have to worry about is big raindrops and some lighting which I don't think will hit us, they only hit trees any way," said Azizi who sounded all proud about the idea.

I looked at Sule and Kalifa to see if they objected but both seemed like they were into it as well.

"Don't worry Zazu, I bet it will only be a rain shower any way and those aren't that bad," said Kalifa.

"Plus, we'll be beside each other, nothing could go wrong with that right?" asked Sule.

"Yeah I guess you're right," I said in a worried voice.

For about an hour we perched in a nearby tree and watched as the rains began to arrive. At first it only looked like a small rain shower, but the clouds grew bigger, and they were bigger than the ones we had seen before. That was when I knew it would be a dangerous storm.

"Don't you think we should start heading back now," I cried as the winds began to howl.

"Just a few more minutes," yelled Sule.

I looked at the rain nervously, I saw lighting flashing in front of us and I knew our mother was worried about us, but my siblings seemed to not care about the problem, they wanted to have an adventure.

Finally when I was about to fly back to the nest on my own, Sule jumped off the tree and began to fly back to the nest, we quickly followed.

I quickly learned that flying through your first rainstorm can be very tiring on the wings, and we were chicks who had not mastered the art of flying yet so it was quite difficult. The rain stung our eyes, and the wind blew us back a few times, which is not very fun since it felt like you were being dragged by an unknown force.

I looked at my siblings and both seemed to be having a hard time as well but of course Sule and Azizi did not show it.

"This is fun, I feel like we are trying to get somewhere special to find something important," said Sule in an adventurous voice.

"Yeah this is not so bad, what do you think of this Zazu?" asked Azizi.

"I don't like it one bit, I just want to be with mom right now," I said nervously.

"That's because you are a chicken," said Azizi who then began to make chicken noises at me. In case you all a wondering how we know about chickens, well all us birds know about our species even if we have never seen them before. Yes it is quite strange but that's because different species think that way. Any way, back to the story.

"Stop that," I said while trying my hardest to fly against the wind.

"Make me," said Azizi.

I was about to fly over to him and give him a piece of my mind when lighting suddenly flashed just inches from us. It did not hit us, but it caused us all to back away in fright.

"My goodness that was close," said Kalifa once she was finished holding her breath.

"Yeah we could have been killed," I said.

"Help!" cried Sule.

We all turned in the direction he was crying for help and saw him being whisked away by a heavy wind and he could not escape it.

"Come on guys we need to help him," I said as I began to fly toward my brother.

Kalifa and Azizi tried to follow but the rain began to fall down harder and lighting flashed all around us making it difficult to see.

"Help me please!" cried Sule.

I tried to reach him but the closer I got, the farther he seemed to move farther from me. I tried to flap my beginners wings the best I could but I soon realized that the storm was winning and a few minutes later, Sule was lost in the storm.

I hovered in the air for a few minutes as tears mixed with the rain that fell around me.

"Sule come back," I cried. "Sule!"

But every time I cried out his name, the thunder drowned me out. I knew I had to give up when Kalifa and Azizi flew to me.

"We need to get home, hopefully Sule will be okay and he will be home by morning," said Kalifa.

I nodded in agreement with her and together we braved the elements as we flew back to the nest.

When we finally returned to the nest, the rain had eased a little and the wind was not as strong. Our mother was standing on a nearby branch looking very worried while our grandfather tried to comfort her. The three of us flew over to tell us we were all right and to give her the bad news.

"Mother we made it home," I said.

My mother turned to us and her grim face turned to joy when she noticed we came back safe and gave us a tight hug.

"You had me worried sick, don't ever do that again," she said.

"It was Sule's idea, he wanted to try and fly in the storm, and now he's…he's…" said Azizi who then began to cry.

"You mean he's gone?" asked my mother in shock.

"We're not sure, we lost him in the storm," I said.

"Oh dear, Dad go find him while I warm these three up," said my mother who then scooted us over to the nest where we lay under the warmth of her feathers.

"I'm sorry about this Mom," I said sadly.

"We will talk about this in the morning, once we learn about Azizi, now get some sleep," she said.

The three of us said nothing and quickly fell asleep under the warmth of our mother's fur and hoping that Sule was alright.

* * *

A/N: I guess I will stop here for now and let you wonder what happened to Sule. I hope you liked the chapter and I hope it did not suck, and don't forget to review. To those who are going to see Revenge of the Sith this weekend I hope you have fun waiting in line, I'm gonna wait two weeks before I see it. And how many of you think that this movie will beat Titanic, I think it will for some reason. Well have a great weekend. 


	6. Words of Advice

Chapter 6 has come but first the reviewers must be thanked because they are special to me. Man I should stop writing so late at night, but it feels so nice to write at twelve o'clock, since I'm not that tired. Okay I will shut up now.

**MorpheusDreamer: **I'm not exaggerating when I say that that was the most beautifully written review I have ever received. "And so darkness falls….." Do you mind if I use that for a later chapter? Well I hope you like this chapter.

**SunRise19**: You'll find out what happens to Sule in a minute. Thanks for the review.

**Maran Zelde: **I thought you disappeared from me. Any way I'm surprised you could not find my friends fanfiction. I do know though that one of her stories is under my favorites, it's her Lord of the Rings story and it's called Sen Maren. If you look at her profile too, her other story is listed. Any way thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the Grandfather; it tells me I created a good character. Hope you like this chapter.

**Gryfffinrose: **Hey a newbie (Toon Zone joke, yeah it's a dumb joke) And don't worry I will update about every week so Sasha won't kill you. LOL.

**Pichooi: **Thanks for the review and I wish I had that kind of holiday, taking a break around Christmas time sounds so much nicer. I can't stand the heat and I feel better if I was actually doing something constructive indoors instead of sitting at the computer vedging all the time. Thanks for the review and I hope you like this chapter.

Now on to the chapter starring Zazu and his siblings.

* * *

**In the shadows of a golden age**

**A generation waits for dawn**

**Brave carry on**

**Bold and the strong.**

**Only the young can say**

**They're free to fly away**

**Sharing the same desires**

**Burnin' like wildfire**

Only the young- Journey

Even though I was exhausted from the day's events, I had trouble sleeping. Thoughts clouded my mind of what happened to Sule. The first time I tired to drift off to sleep, I had a dream where I was trying to save him but then I saw lightning hit him and he burst into flames until there was nothing left but rotten pink flesh that would make anyone turn away in fear. (A/N: Think of what happened to Anakin in Episode 3, that's probably what it looked like)

For the rest of the night afterwards I kept thinking of the things that may have happened to him. I thought of him being blown away for many miles, never to find home again. I even thought about how he may have been lucky and clung to a tree somewhere for protection until morning.

I only received about two hours of sleep that night and most of it was before the sun came up. I awoke when I heard my grandfather land in the nest and my mother's worried voice.

"Did you ever find him?" she asked.

By this time all three of us were crawling out from under our mother hoping to hear good news, but by the looks of our grandfather's face, it was not good.

"Yes I found him, but I'm afraid the storm took him. I found his body tangled against a rocky outcropping many miles from here. I don't even know how I recognized him," said our grandfather sadly.

My mother stood there speechless, tears began to fall from her face like rain falling from the sky and she did not even try to wipe them away.

"So Sule is not coming back?" asked Kalifa worriedly.

"No Sule is gone young one," said our grandfather.

It took a moment for Kalifa to register what she heard until she suddenly broke down in tears and began to cry on my shoulders. I knew it was really our fault; we stayed out longer than we should have and now one of us had to pay for it. But of course as our grandfather told us earlier, its part of the great circle of life. We would all witness it one day whether we liked it or not.

Two weeks went by and slowly my mother began to let her thoughts about Sule go. Of course it was very hard for her at first. I remember coming home once with food to find her sobbing under my grandfathers wing. My grandfather gave her a long talk about how life is and that it is best to learn from the things that caused you a lot of pain. My grandfather always had a way of cheering people up.

Of course as the two weeks went by our time in the nest was starting to end. We rarely hid under our mothers soft feathers but rather stayed in nearby trees, trying out the new idea of gripping to a branch while sleeping. It looks hard but I quickly found that it was quite easy, especially after my first nights sleep of finding that I was still in the same position as before.

I also learned how to hunt for insects and other delicious treats in the tall grass. It's actually fun to do, just as long as you don't get into any fights with your brother over the tastiest morsel of termite you found.

Luckily for me though, Azizi was the first to leave. He told me he felt crowded around the nest and wanted to find his place in life somewhere along the horizon. My mother of course was proud that he was ready to leave and one morning when I woke up, he was gone. I never heard from him since.

I remember a few days after Azizi had left that I also longed to find my place in life. It was actually late in the afternoon and I taking a small bath in a puddle with my sister who had noticed I was not myself.

"Are you okay Zazu, you seem tense," I remember her asking me.

"Yeah I'm fine, I guess I'm ready to head out into the great unknown," I said.

Kalifa looked at me for a moment; she was not sure what to say about it. "I understand, though I really don't want to see you go," she said sadly.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because we were the closest during our chick hood, and now we will probably be far away," she said.

"Well if you want, we can stay in contact, I'll just send someone to tell you where I am once I get there and we can visit each other from time to time," I said.

"That sounds wonderful," said Kalifa.

"Where do you plan on going once you are ready to leave?" I asked.

"I want to stay here and help Mom, I like this place it's so peaceful," said Kalifa.

"I agree, come on why don't we find a nice place to sleep tonight where we can look up at the stars and dream the dreams that we had when we first came into this world," I said.

"That sounds nice," said Kalifa.

Together we found a nice baobab tree in the middle of the savanna, we stayed up late that night watching the stars and making up tales about how they were formed. It was a wonderful night, too bad it lasted for such a short time.

When morning arrived, I said a quick goodbye to my mother who actually cried over me leaving, she said I was her favorite over all the boys in the nest, it made me feel proud, but sad because I was leaving.

I finally had the courage to fly away after ten minutes of goodbyes. I hoped my journey would start from there but I knew I had to say goodbye to my grandfather as well. It took me a while to find him but after a few minutes of searching, I found him sitting on a log at the edge of a small creak that was soon to dry up in a few weeks.

"I was worried you would forget about me," he said as I flew down to say goodbye.

"How can I forget about you, you're the one who taught me everything," I said.

"And you will probably be the only one who remembers everything," said grandfather.

"Oh I bet Kalifa will remember," I said.

"Perhaps," said grandfather.

"Well I just came to say goodbye, I'll miss you and your stories very much," I said.

"Are you in a hurry to get to your destination at all?" asked grandfather right when I was about to go into flight.

"No not really, I actually don't know where I am going," I said.

"Then stay here with me for a while, I have some things I've always wanted to tell you," said grandfather.

Knowing how important grandfather's lectures were, I quickly settled myself down and listened to what he had to say.

"You are about to go on the most important journey of your life, finding your one true place for yourself. Hopefully you will have adventures and hopefully you will find a true love. But always remember to treat those as they are equal, try to keep the peace with whoever you cannot keep the peace with," said Grandfather.

"And what happens if I can't do that?" I asked.

"Then try to stay away from that person," said Grandfather.

"But what if this person is someone who won't let me leave him or her?" I asked.

"Well even if you don't like it, let the war continue until both of you have had enough of the battle, or at least until one of you dies," said Grandfather in a rather silly voice after his last statement.

"I will try to do what you say then," I said as I started to spread my wings thinking the lecture was over.

"I'm not finished yet," said Grandfather.

I quickly put my wings back against my side and listened.

"If you have children, watch over them, teach them how to avoid predators like I did for you, trust those who have kindness in them, be suspicious of those who are sly, and never ever get rid of that personality of yours because you were the best out of all the chicks," said Grandfather.

"Even better than Kalifa?" I asked knowing how good she was compared to me.

"Well maybe out of the boys any way," said Grandfather (A/N: Who else thinks he has a Michael Caine voice?)

"I will remember everything you said, and I know I will miss you," I said as I gave my grandfather a big hug.

"I will miss you too, please keep in touch, and if you ever need anything don't hesitate to find me," said Grandfather.

"Don't worry I will try to do that," I said.

"Now fly to your dream young chick and remember my words," said Grandfather.

A second later I was flying to the south, to my destiny, to a great adventure where a king ruled and to where an evil brother was plotting his demise. I did not know it yet, but that was the last time I would ever see my grandfather alive.

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A/N: Well there's chapter six, I hope you all liked that. So please review and tell me how I did. In case you all are wondering, yes I did see Episode 3, a friend of mine could not wait to see it and neither could we so we both went on Tuesday and watched it in a rather empty theatre, what a suspenseful movie, to those who have not seen it, you must, it is so good. Also my friend a.k.a Lady Mia Starstriker are heading up to her families cabin this weekend where I might go white water rafting, so I'm letting you know in advance that if I do not update in a week, that means I fell out and they could not find me, kinda sad if you think about it. Well see you all later. 


	7. The Start of my journey

When dueling with plastic lightsabers, always wear something protective over your thumb, ouch. Just a word of advice, now on to chapter 7 I believe, oh wait reviewer thanking time.

**Sunrise19: **Let's just say that Zazu does find someone to love, but it will be a while before that happens and I won't really say when since I seem to keep adding more chapters so far. So you've been whitewater rafting huh? I hope you were not as scared as I was, let's just say that's an experience I don't want to go through again for a long time. Well thanks for the review.

**Nala5: **Thanks for the review, where in the north do you live? I'm guessing New England somewhere, am I right? See ya.

**Grifffinrose: **Thanks for the review, and you too Sasha, I'm glad you both like it.

**MorpheusDreamer:** Now on to the next chapter of Zazu's life. I'm glad you liked how I had the goodbye speeches with his sister and grandfather. And I just wanted to make sure I could use your words since lots of people are very picky about those kinds of things. Crazy people. Thanks for the review.

**Pichooi:** Yes his journey has finally begun; you will see how he becomes a majordomo in about two chapters I believe. Thanks for the review.

**Maran Zelde: **Okay first of all this is a very stupid question but I really want to know. Are you male or female? Just wondering. Thanks for the review and congratulations on graduating from college, I'll be graduating from there in about fifty years since I have to take math even though what I plan to do in life will not involve math. Oh and my friend got the reviews but was a little annoyed by the second review you gave her, but I think she is still happy that she got one. Well I hope you like this chapter.

Well now let's begin chapter 7.

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**Into the great wide open**

**Under them skies of blue**

**Out in the great wide open**

**A rebel without a clue**

Into the Great wide open-Tom Petty

It felt quite odd to leave the nest that day but it was probably because I was experiencing something that I had never before experienced in my life, and the fact that I no longer lived with my mother. I knew the weird feeling would leave soon but when that would happen I would find out eventually.

For a few hours I flew through the savanna, passing herds of wildebeests, zebra, and even a lion pride that was out napping under some acacia trees. They seemed quite content about where they were and showed no sign of wanting to hunt that day, but that was how many lions were, little did I know that I would learn more about their behavior in about a week.

The lions quickly disappeared from my view as I continued on; I thought I would fly all day until I realized that I was hungry and a little thirsty. I scoured the land for a few minutes until I came across a giant termite mound in the middle of the savanna. I had never had termite before and thought it was a nice time to try some, so I flew down.

I landed right in front of the mound and began to study it, wondering how to get the termites that lived in it out of there. I circled the mound but found no hole that the termites came in or out of which I found quite strange since I knew they had to come out for sunshine sooner or later.

I tried creating a hole with my beak but instead I received a pain in my beak that I would never want to encounter again. I wanted to give up after a while but my stomach would not stop growling and I just wanted to experience something new to my menu of food choices.

For quite a while I sat there thinking when suddenly a strange animal waddled from out of nowhere and began to scratch at the mound. Now that I am older I have learned that the creature was an aardvark (A/N: That's my community colleges mascot by the way, yeah sad isn't it).

"I tried that already, that mound is just too hard," I said to the aardvark.

The aardvark stopped what he was doing and stared at me for a minute before talking and that was not a pleasant stare let me tell you. He looked gloomy and mad at the same time and I did not know whether to fly away or wait for him to speak.

"That is because you are an ignorant bird," He finally said. "Those claws are not for digging but for hopping around like you birds do. My claws are specifically designed to break open a termite mound. Now if you will excuse me I am hungry and in no mood to talk to birds who think they should be like mammals."

I stood there shocked at what he said to me, he said I was ignorant and I found him to be more ignorant than I was and what was worse was he acted like he owned the termite mound since he casually began to dig around for the perfect spot to catch the termites.

Even though I had that rude awakening from that aardvark, I decided to watch him and see how he did it. He did not really dig much of a hole, he just broke a small piece off the mound and a second later he was sticking his long tongue in and returning it to his mouth with many small termites. I was amazed by his ability to catch termites so I decided to try and dig and use my tongue to get the insects out.

I was lucky enough to find a nice soft spot that I easily broke open and once I had done that job, I tried my wing at scooping up termites with my tongue. Of course I soon learned that my tongue was much smaller than the aardvark's who had actually watched me try to get the termites before rolling his eyes and wandering back in the savanna.

I was able to get three termites with my tongue and found them to be delicious and I of course wanted more but that was before one of the workers found my tongue to be an intrusion in his home and simply bit me with his powerful jaws. That pain I will not forget, it felt like a needle and the stupid creature would not let go until I started to munch on him. That was then I decided to find something easier to snack on without humiliating myself in front of the entire savanna.

I found some nice fruits to munch on afterwards and they suited me just fine. Once I filled my stomach up with food, I flew down to the nearby watering hole for a nice drink of water.

I landed next to a rhino who was busy enjoying his drink and found it to be an easy spot to get the water from, since the other areas had small overhangs that I could not reach since I was still a little small.

But of course I had problems there too.

"Hey why are in my spot, don't you know this is my drinking area," said the rhino in a very angry voice with his horn pointing to me.

"No I did not know that, you see I'm only traveling so I am not aware of the rules here," I said nervously while watching his horn move back and forth menacingly.

"Well now you know, now get out before my horn does it for you," he said.

I did not want to upset the rhino any further and was about to fly off when a giraffe stepped in front of me.

"Is this grumpy rhino bothering you?" she asked in a slightly annoyed yet kind voice.

"Oh no no I was just invading his water hole so I need to find another spot so he won't gore me," I said.

"Well just so you know, this is not his rightful spot, it is everyone's he just likes to boss others around," said the giraffe who then gave the rhino and angry look.

"Well it would be nice to have a drink without someone next to you ruining the water that you are about to drink," said the rhino.

"Oh picky, picky, picky I once drank out of a hippo pool and there were hundreds of hippos living there but that did not stop me from drinking out of it," said the giraffe.

"Well that was probably because you were in a drought during that time and had no other choice," said the rhino.

"No it was just last week," said the giraffe.

I knew their argument was going nowhere so I quickly took one last sip from the water hole and flew off to find my new home where hopefully I would not have to deal with neighbors like those.

Luckily for me the rest of the afternoon was uneventful and I soon ended up following a small river that would probably lead to some place nice. I soon realized that I needed to stop flying when I saw dark clouds heading my way. Knowing how much safer it was to perch while a storm came I soon found a baobab tree that suited me just fine. That is until I learned that the leaves did not provide much protection from the rain and I was instantly soaked.

I sat there looking like I had just returned from a river rafting adventure and I knew right then and there that it was going to be a long first night alone for me. I decided to leave the baobab tree and find a more suitable place to perch, I wasn't happy with it but at least I could not get any more drenched than I already was.

I finally settled down under a small tree that gave some protection, though I could still feel a few drops land on my head from time to time. I then began the long task of trying to dry off and get warm which would be hard since the sun was down for the rest of the day. But my luck quickly changed when I heard a voice call out to me.

"My my you look like something a hyena dragged in," said the voice.

I jumped up startled and looked around to see where the voice was coming from. "Who are you, and where are you?" I asked.

"Right in front of you, in this knot in the tree," said the voice who then poked his head out to reveal another hornbill like me.

"Oh you scared me for a minute, but I guess in weather like this any thing can be scary," I said.

"That's very true, so this must be your first time away from the nest huh?" said the hornbill.

"Yes I left this morning," I said.

"Well since I can tell you won't like sleeping out in this bad weather, why don't you spend the night with me tonight, but come morning you better be out of here, don't want anyone taking over my home," said the hornbill.

"You really mean it? You don't mind?" I asked surprised.

"Nope don't mind at all, now come on in," said the hornbill.

I then followed him into his little home inside the tree and once I was in, I found the place to be quite cozy and found a nice spot to settle down in. The hornbill smiled at me and settled down in a spot across from me. Now that I could see all of him, I noticed that he was a young hornbill, in his early prime. His feathers were slightly darker than mine and did not have very much white on the stomach, just a small spot near his legs. He had a kind smile too, which told me he could be trusted.

"Well now that we are all settled, my names Duka, what's yours?" he asked.

"Zazu and thanks for letting me stay here for the night," I said.

"Don't mention it, I do it all the time to fledglings like you who are lost or drowned by the rain," said Duka.

"Well that's still very nice of you," I said.

"So where are you headed?" asked Duka as he changed the subject.

"I don't even know, I'm just trying to find a nice home where food is plentiful and all the animals live in peace," I said.

"Ha good luck finding peace any where on this planet, everyone argues about something, claiming this was theirs, or no one should have that, its so annoying," said Duka.

"Well then I just want to find a place where food is plentiful and droughts and famine are rare," I said.

"Then I know just the place," said Duka.

"You do?" I asked excitedly.

"There's a place about a week away from here known as the pride lands, I was born there, lovely place, I remember the grass was greener than the greenest grass hopper. And life was peaceful mainly because King Ahadi kept everything in check especially the hyenas, he wouldn't even let them enter his boundaries," said Duka.

"Who's King Ahadi?" I asked.

"He's a lion that rules the pride lands, though I'm not sure if he still rules or not, he was in his late prime by the time I left which was at least four rainy seasons ago," said Duka.

"Then I will definitely find the place, which way do I go and are there any interesting land marks that I should look out for?" I asked. Now I was really excited about my possible future home.

"Well if you were heading south you were going in the right direction and you won't miss the place because there is a huge rock in the middle of the land, that's where King Ahadi lives," said Duka.

"I will remember that then, and you know what's funny," I said.

"What's that?" asked Duka looking interested.

"I think it was a coincidence that we met, I had no idea where I was going so the storm led me to you," I said right before I made a big yawn.

"Hmm you could be right. I also see that you are quite tired, so I will let you rest, but remember when morning comes you are out of here," said Duka.

"Don't worry I'm not going to take over your place. And thanks again for helping me," I said as I got into my sleeping mode. Which was puffing myself up and putting my head close to my chest.

I don't remember much after that, but I do know that I fell asleep very fast, and that I would be ready for a new day when morning arrived.

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A/N: Yay chapter 7's done. Hope you all liked it and I am sorry if it was kinda corny with the aardvark, I feel there needs to be some humor in here. And as you can see I survived my first rafting trip somehow. We rode on class four rapids which are really big and scary but what was cool was that we did it under the Royal Gorge Bridge which is the highest suspension bridge in the world. It's really cool to look up at it. Well please review and I will see you all again whenever I update again, it might be by Tuesday but I'm not sure. See ya. 


	8. Hyenas

Rule of thumb; don't ever tell your biggest fan that you're thinking of handing over a story that you cannot write any more to someone else. You will totally regret it.

Thankee time

**Sunrise19:** I'm glad you love this story, shows that I am doing something good. I don't know if he will ever see Duka again, but I will think about it and see what happens.

**MorpheusDreamer: **Yay! Foreshadowing is fun. Glad you liked the aardvark. Thanks for reviewing.

**Maran Zelde: **Thanks for the review. But I do feel discouraged about school because I'm actually taking the same math class right now for the second time; yeah math and I are not friends. So you've been whitewater rafting too. Where did you go?

**Pichooi:** I'm glad you liked the aardvark as well. And Zazu's adventure into the pridelands is coming soon; he just has one more stop along the way.

**Gryfffinrose:** Glad you and Sasha liked that chapter, hope you two like this one as well.

Now on with the story.

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I awoke the next morning ready to head out and it was a good thing too because Duka pecked me enough times to get me out of his home. He was kind enough though to give me the directions to the pride lands, but was not kind enough to offer me some seeds that he had stored in a branch next to his home. It really did not matter any way since I found some berries that were even better than stale seeds.

Once my hunger was satisfied I continued my journey, this time I knew where I was going and I could not wait to get there. The week that it took to get there was quite uneventful. When I was hungry, I ate. When I was thirsty, I drank from the waterholes. And when I was tired, I slept. That was mostly my entire trip right there. Of course I did have an encounter with a bunch of wildebeests who had suddenly arrived at a watering hole that I was drinking at. They just came out of no where and nearly stepped on me a few times. (Once I became a majordomo I found that they are the rudest animals in Africa but more on that later.)

I finally found the pridelands a few hours before sunset on my seventh day journeying to my new home. I could not see much since the sun was going down but what I could see was quite spectacular. The atmosphere faded to a beautiful orange, there was not a cloud in the sky and most of the animals were slowly walking to safe places to rest for the night.

I sighed happily, this was definitely going to be a lovely home and Duka was right about how beautiful it was. I could see the huge rock that Duka was talking about too; it just appeared out of nowhere. I cannot even describe to you how odd it looked against the flat landscape.

Once I was done admiring my home I decided to find a nice spot to rest for the night. Of course being young and not knowing much about danger, I decided to spend the night in some dark rocky area thinking that it would be an interesting place to wake up to in the morning. The sun would probably give the rocks and distinctive color making it a nice wake up call in the morning.

Of course I found that I was truly wrong about what I had thought for when I woke up, I found myself staring face to face with three creatures I had never seen before. I would soon learn that they were hyenas, the scavengers of the land.

"Well, well what have we here?" said the female hyena as soon as I opened my eyes.

I instantly jumped up in fear, ready to fly but found I could not for one of the hyenas had his paw on my tail feathers.

"It looks like a blue bird who wandered away from a wonderful day," said one of the male hyenas.

The other male hyena who had his paw on my tail feathers just laughed like an idiot. I soon later found that he really was an idiot, in fact they all were. Their names were Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, the leaders of the entire hyena clan in the area.

"Oh dear, I am sorry for being here, I did not know this was your area, so if you would kindly let go of my tail feathers I can be out of your way," I said nervously, hoping that they would spare me.

"Ha did you hear that Banzai, he wants us to let him go," said Shenzi.

"Hmmm I don't think that would be a good idea, what do you think Ed?" asked Banzai.

Ed again laughed and licked his lips happily.

"Yeah that's a good idea Ed, we should have him for breakfast," said Shenzi.

"No please don't, I'm only a young chick who just left the nest and wants to live a happy life. I don't want to be eaten, besides I'm probably nothing but bones," I said as I shook with fright.

Shenzi then poked me in the stomach with her paw and then growled under her breath. "Yeah your right about that, I can't even get full if I was the only one who ate you, but we are not letting you go that easily," she said.

"So you're not going to eat me?" I asked.

"No I think it would be better if we had a little fun with you," said Banzai.

"Oh Ed are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Shenzi.

Ed then laughed happily and clapped his paws, it was going to be something I knew I would not enjoy but they would.

"Time for a little visit with the Birdy Boiler," said Shenzi who then grabbed me by my tail feathers and carried me away.

"Oh dear what's the Birdy Boiler?" I asked nervously.

"Oh you'll see," said Banzai with an evil grin.

All three of them laughed as we moved through the rocks. I knew it was going to be bad when the place became darker and darker and the sound of steam could be heard throughout the rock walls.

Finally they brought me to a hollow area where geysers sprang up into the air and hissed loudly before coming back down in a pool of hot bubbles.

"Oh I like this one right here," said Banzai happily as he stood over one geyser as it shot off barely missing his face.

"Oh perfect," said Shenzi with clenched teeth.

Shenzi then let me go, I tried to fly away but Banzai grabbed me by my wings and pretended I was a puppet by walking me over to the geyser.

"Once there was a stupid hatchling named Dummy and he saw a geyser so he walked over to see it," said Banzai as he walked me closer to the dangerous looking geyser.

Just as it was about to explode, Banzai yanked me as hard as he could away from it and started to laugh.

"Oh dear that was close, maybe I can do that again," said Banzai while the other two laughed happily.

I don't know why they found it so funny, I was scared to death and I wanted to fly away from them, but there was no way out, I was most likely doomed.

For a few minutes they continued the walking over to the geyser and just missing me by inches joke, until Banzai did something unexpected.

"Hmm I wonder what would happen if I sat in this hot water," he said as he quickly lifted me in the air and set me down into the Birdie Boiler.

It was definitely not a pleasant experience, the water was very hot and made me sweat the instant I landed in there or maybe I should say even more. Suddenly the geyser shot up and I was instantly lifted high into the air and out of their sight.

It happened so fast that I did not know what to do and afew seconds later I found myself in a big mud puddle before I suddenly passed out.

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A/N: Well there's chapter eight, sorry it was so short, some of the chapters might end up like that from time to time. I thought it was a good idea to bring in the Birdie Boiler since in the movie I remember Zazu saying "Oh no not the birdie boiler!" Which showed that it happened to him once before. Well I hope you liked it and please review. Chapter 9 will be here soon and you will meet some familiar characters so don't miss it. 


	9. Mufasa

Well I just found out something rather interesting. Zazu in Swahili means stupid. What was his mother thinking?

Thankee time.

**Sunrise19:** Don't worry Zazu is okay, if he wasn't he would not even have a story. Thanks for the review.

**MorpheusDreamer**: Glad you liked my idea for the birdie boiler. And I agree with your statement on Pride Rock being iconic to us. Thanks for the review.

**Maran Zelde: **Yay someone else liked the birdie boiler! And you went rafting in West Virginia huh. I would not blame you since there's not much else to do there. I spent a week and a half in Morgantown once; I was bored out of my mind. Thanks for the review.

**Gryfffinrose: **Glad you liked the chapter. I'm guessing that Sasha is a cat then, since she does not like the thought of a cat boiler. Thanks for the review.

**ImCrazyAndProudOfIt: **Oh yay a new reviewer. I don't know if you have read all the chapters yet but I am glad you liked the first chapter. Hope to hear from you again. Thanks for the review.

**Nala5: **Yeah History teachers are evil, I just had one who wanted us to write like a six page report on this one document, it was so annoying. But that's okay if you are behind, especially when it involves school, when do you get out any way? And you will see who saves him in this next chapter. Thanks for the review.

Now on with the story.

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I awoke from my terrible ordeal with the hyenas a few hours later. My body ached everywhere and my head felt as if something was being compressed on it. I tried standing up but discovered that my stomach was also giving me a bad feeling so I lay back down. It was then that I realized that I was not in the savanna or in the mud puddle where I landed; I seemed to be in a tree, a big tree to be exact.

"Oh I see you have awakened," said a friendly voice.

I lifted my head up a little to see what it was and found an old mandrill walking toward me. According to my grandfather it is best to avoid monkeys and apes since some have been known to eat birds when nothing else was available. I of course could do nothing to get away since I was in too much pain and this mandrill had a kind face so I knew he could be trusted.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"An hour or two, not too long, now here, drink this, it will help you bring your strength back quickly," said the mandrill.

I took a small sip of the liquid he gave me and found it to be quite sweet. I drank a little more before the mandrill pulled it away from me.

"Now then what is your name?" asked the mandrill.

"Zazu," I said weakly.

"Well Zazu I'm glad I was nearby when I saw you fall or you would be dead by now, how did it happen?" asked the mandrill.

"Three hyenas decided to pretend that I was curious about a birdie boiler," I said.

"Oh I've heard some nasty stories about those creatures, always picking on others and getting into trouble, I was glad when King Ahadi kicked them out of the pridelands," said the mandrill.

"Oh you know about King Ahadi?" I asked as I sat up quickly. And it did not hurt sitting up either, the potion the old mandrill used actually worked. I was amazed by this and in fact I am still amazed with Rafiki's potions to this day. Rafiki just smiled at my reaction before continuing

"Oh yes I know about King Ahadi er more like royal council now, his son Mufasa has been the king for six months now, he has been doing a wonderful job too, " said the mandrill.

"I was told King Ahadi has done a good job controlling this place," I said.

"Yes he has, though he is a little stubborn, but any one can be at his age," said the mandrill.

"Yeah true," I said not knowing what else really to say.

"Also I am glad that I found you because that royal family is looking for an advisor that will tell the king how things are going in the pride lands and a bird is one of their main specie to look for," said the mandrill.

"An advisor, to the king!" I said astonished.

"Yes, you help him decide what he should do in his kingdom, keep the kingdom in check, and do whatever else the king wants you to do," said the mandrill.

I wasted no time in thinking it over; I wanted to take the job. "I would love to do it," I said.

"Good now to find the king, he is on that rock over there. He is most likely taking a nap or something so it might be a good time to meet him. He is the male lion with the big red mane, you can't miss him since the other too have a much darker mane," said the mandrill.

"Alright then thank you very much, and oh I never got your name," I said as I began to fly out toward pride rock hoping that I would get the job.

"It's Rafiki and good luck, I hope to see you again soon," said the mandrill.

I then waved goodbye to him and flew as quickly as I could toward pride rock. As I got closer I noticed how much bigger it was up close and in person. I thought for some reason it would be smaller mainly because I had only seen it from afar. Of course your eyes can play tricks on you, something my grandfather always warned me about, especially when a predator looks far away to you.

I soon arrived at the rock and looked around for the king. At first I only saw the female lions basking in the sun or cleaning their cubs for the day. A second later though, I found three males sitting under a tree obviously enjoying each others company.

I flew over and perched under them to study the three for a few moments. I quickly spotted Mufasa; in fact he wasn't hard to miss for he was the biggest and most powerful looking. His red mane flowed with the breeze; I could see from his face that he was a friendly lion so it would not be hard trying to talk to him.

I then turned to the other two; the first one I looked at seemed to be a few years younger than Mufasa. To me he looked like a rogue because of his lanky build and scruffy fur. His mane was the darkest of blacks I had ever seen in a lion. He did not look friendly at all, especially since he had that scar over his left eye. I made a note to avoid him if I could.

The last male I looked at was much older than both so I quickly assumed that it had to be Ahadi since Rafiki did say he was old. His mane which had once been a lighter black was now graying with age and he was skinny though not as skinny as the other lion. He had the look of tiredness on his face giving him the look as if he rarely slept.

Once I was done studying the three lions, I decided to make myself known by calling to them.

"Er excuse me, uh King Mufasa," I had said nervously.

The three lions looked up at me curiously before Mufasa stood up looking like he was ready to listen to what I had to say.

"Yes how may I help you?" he asked with the most deep but gentle voice I had ever heard in my life.

"Hello my name is Zazu, a fledgling who just left the nest about a week ago and I came out here to find a home. As luck would have it, I met a mandrill who told me you were searching for an advisor to help you with your needs, and I thought I could be the one for the job," I said with as much bravery in my voice as I could.

Mufasa smiled for a minute before he finally spoke. "I would love for you to be my advisor. I've been waiting for quite a while for one, seeing as how my last advisor was a disappointment to me," he said.

"He was not a disappointment, he was just old and senile," said the skinny lion with a voice that would make any one shiver.

"Taka, don't talk dirty about your elders. Mango just needed to retire just like I did," said Ahadi as he hit his son in the back of the head with his paw.

"For the last time father, it's Scar," said the skinny lion.

"I don't care what you changed your name to, you are still Taka in my eyes and I am going to keep it that way," said Ahadi.

Mufasa just growled at them before turning to me. "Don't mind my brother and father, they are always arguing nonsense," he said.

"Oh it's quite alright, I had that problem with my brother too when I was still in the nest with him," I said.

Mufasa gave a small smirk before starting to walk away from his father and brother. "Since you are going to be part of our family now it is best you meet the pride and learn of our history," he said.

"Oh that would be wonderful," I said as I followed him through pride rock.

We did not go far before Mufasa jumped on a high rock and looked down at a group of lionesses sunning themselves in the midday sun.

"Ladies, I would like you all to meet our newest advisor Zazu, you are to treat him with respect and kindness, which means don't try to eat him," said Mufasa with a slight chuckle in his voice.

The lionesses looked up at me curiously before giving me a greeting and then returning to their task of sunning themselves, all but one. She was a lovely female who walked up to both of us and smiled at me happily.

"Hello Zazu, I am Sarabi, Mufasa's mate and queen of the pridelands. I welcome you to our new home, may you enjoy your stay," she said.

"Thank you your majesty," I said knowing the proper etiquette when talking to royalty.

"If you cannot find Mufasa and have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me," said Sarabi.

"I will remember that, thank you," I said.

"My my, your shaping up to be the perfect advisor already, so polite and kind," said Mufasa.

"That's only because I grew up with my grandfather, he taught me everything I know, and how to be polite to those who were higher ranking than I," I said.

"I had the same kind of grandfather as you, he was so wise and strong, I wish he would have lived forever," said Mufasa as he looked up at the blue sky.

"Yes it is never easy to see our elders go," I said.

Mufasa gave a deep sigh and then dismissed the subject entirely. "Come with me, I want to show you my kingdom," he said as he went up a straight trail that led to the top of Pride Rock.

I flew behind him, ready to see the new view of my home. It took us a few minutes to reach the top since there were a few spots where Mufasa had to jump to get to the other side but when we arrived at the top, I found the view to be most well worthed trip I had ever encountered. You could see for miles and all the animals traveling throughout the land. This was truly a king's view.

"As you can see everything the light touches is our kingdom," said Mufasa.

"It is so beautiful your majesty, how did you come to acquire this magnificent place?" I asked still stunned by the beauty of everything.

"It's been in our family for generations. According to my grandfather, the first king here was named Phomello. He acquired the place after leaving his fathers pride in search of a better life. We don't know how many years ago that was," said Mufasa.

"He must have been as amazed as I was when I first saw this rock," I said.

"He probably was," said Mufasa.

"Forgive me for asking but is your mother still alive?" I asked since I had only met Sarabi and had not learned any of the other lioness's names.

"No, she died six months ago, that is why my father is retired, he did not want to rule without her, they were both very close," said Mufasa with a slight shudder in his voice.

"I'm sorry to hear that sir," I said.

I was not sure what to say any more, not after asking about his mother. But after thinking it over I thought about a child for him and if he had one yet.

"Have you had a cub yet?" I asked.

"No and we have tried, I asked Rafiki for help but he told us to be patient, it takes time to have a child, and if we are patient enough, we will have one eventually," said Mufasa.

I just nodded, I could tell it would be good for Mufasa to have one, he looked like he needed a cub to play with, but I bet he played with the ones that weren't his own but were part of the pride most of the time.

"So your brother Taka, how did he get that scar over his eye?" I asked.

"I gave it to him about a year ago over who would be king, I swiped him so hard that he lost consciousness and did not wake up for days. Somehow what I did to him changed him and so now he sulks around like I should give him this land for feeling sorry for him. But I don't back down that easily," said Mufasa.

"What was he like before the scar?" I asked

"He was a happy lion, friendly and full of energy. Yet he wanted to be the ruler of the land so finally one day he just came up to me and said that we should fight to see who should be ruler. I agreed and that's what happened," said Mufasa.

I nodded again and remained silent while looking down on the land. I felt proud that it was going to be my home and that I was an advisor to the king. I would be protected by him and sleep where I wanted; it was definitely going to be the life.

"Well let's head back down, just to let you know, you start your job first thing in the morning. Just come to me when you are awake," said Mufasa.

"Yes sir, and I hope you don't mind if I find myself a meal I have not had one all day," I said.

"Oh not at all, in fact go any where you like, just report to me in the morning," said Mufasa.

I nodded and flew off away from pride rock in search of something to eat. I was able to find an ant hill and filled my stomach full of ants until I was satisfied. Once I was done with my meal I went to the water hole and had a quick drink before heading back to Pride Rock.

I decided to make my home in a nearby tree that had a small opening in its trunk like Duka had. Someone had lived there a while back, it may have been the original advisors but I'm not sure. I added a few touches to the place, some grass, leaves and some pieces of Ahadi's mane. Ahadi did not mind, his hair could easily come off when you grabbed it.

Once I was done with the finishing touches of my new home, I sat in a nearby branch and listened to the members of the pride talk about their day. They even talked to me and asked me where I came from, I was quite happy to tell them and they enjoyed my story about my first flight from the nest.

Once it got really dark though, everyone in the pride began to yawn and head into the cave that was inside the rock for bed. Mufasa waited until all left before saying goodnight to me. I said my goodnights as well and quickly went into my new home were I instantly fell asleep.

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A/N: Yay chapter 9's done, I hope you liked it. And if it went too fast I apologize. In case you all are wondering where Sarafina is in this story, well she's not even a member of the pride yet but she will be soon. Well please review, I love reviews, have a great weekend. 


	10. My First Day On The Job

Okay started writing this at 11:20 pm on June 11th. Just saw the movie Willow, very good movie, I highly recommend it; it has a shirtless Val Kilmer, yummy.

Thanks, thanks, and more thanks.

**Nala5: **That last review confused me. I mean thank you for adding me to your list of favorites but couldn't you do that when reviewing Chapter nine as well instead of doing it in chapter one. Sorry I'm just confused. Thanks for adding me though.

**MorpheusDreamer: **Glad you liked the chapter, originally I was thinking of having Mufasa finding him in the mud, but then I thought Rafiki would be much cooler. Thanks for the review.

**Sunrise19: **Glad you liked the chapter, thanks for the review. Keep up the good work with your stories.

**Bounding Jackalope: **That's okay if you did not review. A lot of people just put the stories on their favorites list and don't review. I found that out with this new system that ffn just installed. I rather like it that way too. Well thanks for reviewing.

**Gryfffinrose:** Thanks for the applause; I hope Sasha gets away from that cat boiler. Hope you like this chapter.

**Pichooi:** Oh dear I totally forgot you even reviewed, that's why I said something in that last review to you and I am sorry about that. My brain is not right sometimes. Any way thanks for the comments, I'm glad that you said I portrayed the characters very well; I'm always worried about that. Hope you like this chapter.

**Simba11**: Yay another new person! Glad you liked the chapter. Simba will be born in about two or three chapters from now so don't worry. Thanks for the review.

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Now on to my new crazy chapter where Zazu begins his first day. 

I awoke the next morning after discovering that the sun made a bright beam through my new home in the tree. At first I found it annoying until I realized that it was a good thing because I had to start my first day on the job as advisor to Mufasa. Once I realized this I quickly wiped the sleep from my eye and peeked out of my home to see where Mufasa was. I found him rather quickly for he was lying at the edge of pride rock, most likely waiting for me. So I flew down to greet him.

"Good morning sire," I said in an energetic tone.

Mufasa jumped up and turned around to see me coming toward him and smiled. "You scared me for a moment there, but good morning Zazu, have a good nights sleep?" he asked.

"Oh yes it was quite nice," I said.

"Ready to start your first day as advisor?" asked Mufasa.

"Yes sire, just give me something to do and I will do it," I said.

"Good, now first I want you to begin the day with the morning report. Just fly around the pridelands and look for anything unusual or anything that is bothering the animals. Once you are through, you report back to me and tell me all about it and when you are done with that I will give you another task," said Mufasa.

"Yes sir I will do as you say, when do you need me to report back?" I asked.

"Before the sun is just above us because then afterwards it will no longer be morning," said Mufasa with a slight chuckle.

"I will do that then," I said and flew off into the pridelands.

I decided that before I should begin my days work that I should find Rafiki and thank him for helping me. I decided that Rafiki might be in his tree so I flew over to find out. Sure enough he was there, painting something on one of the branches.

"Good morning Rafiki," I said cheerfully.

Rafiki did not turn around but continued to paint. "Good morning Zazu, I heard you are the pridelands new advisor," he said.

"Yup, I start today, I decided to come by and tell you but since you already know, I guess I will just tell you thank you since it was my second reason for coming by," I said.

"You are welcome young fledgling, I hope you do as well as Mango did," said Rafiki who never took his eyes off what he was doing, I finally had to ask.

"So what are you painting?" I asked.

Rafiki said nothing but stepped aside to show that he had painted me flying above Pride Rock with the sun beaming down on me. I was amazed at how lovely it was.

"My paintings tell me that you will have a long a fruitful career here, a very good sign," said Rafiki.

I stared at the painting for a few minutes before looking at the other paintings that were near it. He had one with Mufasa standing on the edge of pride rock and roaring. He had one with Scar that showed him alone and sad. He had another with Ahadi running with his old mate who had died six months before and another of Sarabi watching Mufasa roar on pride rock.

"Each one of those images have a meaning including the picture of Ahadi and Uru his mate. It means that the sun will set on Ahadi soon, when though I am not sure," said Rafiki.

"That's a sad omen though," I said.

"Yes it is, but when my heart says paint, I paint, and whatever comes up, comes up," said Rafiki.

"That's very fascinating, how did you acquire these powers?" I asked.

"My old teacher taught me, he used to live here, I took over his job when he died," said Rafiki.

"Oh I see, well I better get to work, I will see you around sometime," I said as I flew off.

"Yes take care young fledgling, if you need anything, just come and see me any time," said Rafiki.

I quickly said goodbye and flew off toward a local water hole I saw earlier and see if anything is alright with the animals around there. Once I arrived, I found that everyone seemed to be there that day but there was so much room that no one was fighting for space, save for a few hippos who wanted the shallowest part of the water hole. Everything seemed to be fine there until I heard a group of ten wildebeest talking about a problem. Remembering what Mufasa said I decided to listen and see if anything was wrong with them.

"Have you noticed how those Zebra's always hang out with us sometimes while grazing," said one.

"Oh yes especially since the ones that are around me always seem to have bad bowel movements," said another.

"Yes and then their foals always run amok through the herd I swear I almost stepped on one once," said another.

"And they act like it is their space too and eat the roots right out of the grass so when the dry season comes we barely have anything," said the first.

"Is there even a reason why they hang around us?" asked a male wildebeest.

"Probably be less of an easy target for the predators about, so we can be the ones to be eaten first," said another.

While I listened, I was so in tuned to what they were all saying until one made it known that I was eavesdropping on their conversation.

"I think we should keep moving everyone, that bird up there is listening, he might tell the zebras about us," it said.

The leader of the group snorted and walked up closer and eyed me. "So an eavesdropper eh no doubt you will be telling the zebra's about our problem soon," she said.

"Oh no maim, I don't even know any of the zebra's here, this is my first day as advisor to King Mufasa and I was making sure everything is alright with everyone," I said nervously.

"Oh even better, can you tell that Mufasa that I am sick and tired of all that mud forming near the base of the canyon over there after a big rainstorm, we nearly lost a colt to one huge mud puddle after getting stuck in it," she said.

"I will try to tell him that," I said.

"See that you do," she said and without a thank you or goodbye, she and her group left the water hole. See what I mean when I told you that wildebeests have no manners.

I sighed and that's when I knew that the wildebeests would not be happy with me listening to their daily conversations, maybe I could hide better in a tree or something.

"Excuse me," said a voice from behind that made me jump in fright, I turned around to find a giraffe standing there looking at me.

"Sorry for startling you, but my name is Tafari and I could not help but over hear that you are the advisor to King Mufasa," he said.

"Yes that's what I am now, is there any problem that you have?" I asked.

"No but I can help you, you see for a few years I assisted Mango as he advised the pride lands, I was glad he retired, his hearing was not so good," said Tafari.

"Oh so you can tell me what's going on with everyone out here?" I asked happily.

"Yes I can, but only around in this area, but of course that is only because that's where most of the conversations are but if you go all over there are some interesting problems others have. But its good to have a giraffe help you since no one will know about it, at least that's what I believe, I have not gotten into trouble yet," said Tafari.

"I would love for you to help me then," I said.

"Good, before I can continue though, I'll have you know that the gophers in this area are also very good at helping out, they have a colony not far from here," said Tafari.

"Alright then, so what's happening in the pride lands?" I asked.

"Well as you have heard the wildebeests are not happy with the zebra's, you'll learn in time though that they are not happy with anything. There's been one warthog that has been stinking up another waterhole not far from here. Every time he comes near, everyone has to leave because of the stench; I think someone has been planning to see Mufasa today about that problem. Oh yes and the ostriches are starting the hatching process so they are very nervous about where the lions hunt at the moment since they might step on their eggs," said Tafari.

"Alright, I'll make sure, Mufasa knows about all this," I said.

"Do you want to meet tomorrow at the same time?" asked Tafari.

"If that's alright with you," I said.

"It's perfect," said Tafari.

"Alright, thank you for helping me today, see you tomorrow then," I said.

Tafari just nodded and began walking toward a stretch of acacia trees. I was glad I received information on my first day so I would not come back empty winged. I decided to make a few rounds to see if anyone else was having problems. I found a that a stork was disrupting an crocodile nest and picking on the little ones, I tried to tell him to stop but he acted like he was the top member of the water hole. I knew Mufasa could handle him eventually or at least the crocodile.

I then flew back to pride rock where I found Mufasa chewing on a bone with Ahadi beside him, Scar was nowhere to be seen, he must have been out hunting.

"I have returned with the morning report sire," I said happily.

"Oh good, any news?" asked Mufasa.

I told Mufasa all that I had heard and he looked quite pleased by how much information I gave him especially since it was my first day.

"Well I better go speak to the wildebeest about that problem they are having, Dad would you like to come with me?" said Mufasa.

"That would be nice, I have not been out much lately," said Ahadi as he got up but quite slowly because of his age. It made me remember that drawing in Rafiki's tree.

"What would you like me to do sir?" I asked realizing that I probably had another job to do.

"Come with us and see what the life of a king is all about," said Mufasa.

"Alright then," I said and followed them toward the wildebeests.

It did not take us long to find them, they were all crowded around a big grassy area and enjoying the fact that the zebras had not arrived and ruined their day. Mufasa cautiously walked up to them and showed that he was not hunting them by keeping his tail up straight.

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt but I was told that you do not like Zebra's hanging around your area, is this true?" asked Mufasa.

The same wildebeest who spoke to me earlier quickly ran over and snorted a few inches from Mufasa's face.

"Yes and is there a problem with us not liking zebra's?" she asked.

"Slightly, tell me why you don't like them and I will try to reach an agreement with you," said Mufasa.

"Because they make us the easy targets for predators like you, you all go after the zebra, but it hides behind us and so you find us the easier prey and so you kill us, now don't you find that very rude of them," said the wildebeest.

"Well the main reason is because you are in large groups, they like large groups," said Mufasa.

"Then they should stay in their own herds, and another thing, they smell terrible, have you ever smelled a zebra during a hot day," said the wildebeest.

"Oh and you don't smell, why I remember one time when I tried to hunt you, one of your members nearly choked me to death with his horrid bowel movements," said Ahadi in a very annoyed voice.

"Are you saying that we are filthy?" asked the wildebeest who then snorted and stomped in front of Ahadi angrily.

"By the looks of it yes, now listen here; you need to respect all the creatures here. They are part of the circle of life. And each one of them has an importance, now you should either accept that or leave the pride lands where zebra aren't as numerous," said Ahadi in a very commanding tone that was enough to make any one bow down to him and ask for forgiveness, even for someone his age. Of course the wildebeest was unmoved.

"Fine then, if the zebra become more annoying then we will leave, for now we will continue to complain, so you have not heard the last of us," said the wildebeest who then stomped off acting like she was the one who owned the world.

Mufasa stood there in annoyance. He hated how rude the wildebeest were and wished they would change their ways. Ahadi growled under his chest, even though he was no longer king he still acted like he had a burden to take care of.

"Well let's take care of something less angering," I said hoping to lighten the mood.

"Yes why don't we take care of that one warthog that one zebra complained about, it might be easy getting him to stop smelling since warthogs are understanding creatures," said Mufasa.

"Yes why not, I do rather enjoy talking to them sometimes," said Ahadi.

We spent a good deal of time trying to help the warthog with his problems, of course he promised that he would be more careful but it would be hard and that we should be patient. Mufasa acknowledged this and told him if anyone else complained to speak to him about it.

The rest of the day was spent talking to the pride and hearing stories of lions of old. I found it odd though that Scar returned late that evening saying that he had been scouting the outlands making sure everything was in order. Of course Ahadi questioned him about the hyena stench in his coat and he stated that it was only because of how many there were in the outlands. I could tell that he was probably lying but I kept my mouth shut, I did not want to end my first day being killed by that beast.

Once all our conversations ended, everyone went into pride rock for a nice long rest. I for one went into my home and quickly learned that my day had been long and busy for I fell asleep before I could even think about counting sheep.

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A/N: Well there's chapter 10. Hope you all liked it. In case you all were wondering what the name Tafari means, it means "one who inspires awe," in Swahili,and any one can be in awe when staring at a giraffe. I still awed by that huge tongue and I feed them crackers at the zoo all the time. Well please review and I will see you all soon with another chapter. 


	11. Loosing Ahadi

Alrighty on to chapter 11, I started it at 10:12 pm on June 16. Don't you just love random trivia? Time to thank my lovely reviewers.

**Bounding Jackalope:** My goodness that was the fastest review I have ever gotten. I swear it had to have been 15 minutes after I updated. Any way thanks for the review.

**Sunrise19**: Yes the warthog was Pumbaa; I did not really want to reveal him since I felt it was better to keep him out of the picture until later. Hope you understood that, well thanks for the review.

**MorpheusDreamer:** I knew my dialogue was sort of artificial as you said and I will try to do what you suggested, of course I can't promise you anything but I will try to work on that. Also I understand your predicament with going away for a while so just review when you can, thank you for helping me out with this so I know what I am doing wrong.

**Pichooi:** Thanks for the review. I'm glad you liked the Rafiki's painting idea, and you'll feel even more sorry for Ahadi in this next chapter. Hope you like it.

**Grifffinrose:** That review you gave me was funny, you get that wildebeest Sasha. (I don't know why my computer says that name is spelled wrong) Thanks for the review.

Okay now on to a really sad chapter

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My first ten months as advisor came and went like the afternoon storms that moistened the ground. I was amazed by how easy my job became and I felt proud to be a member of royals who protected the great land that many creatures cherished. 

A few days after I first starting my advising, I met some messenger finches who were willing to find my mother, grandfather, and sister and tell them the news of my new home. About a month later, Kalifa arrived for a visit and see if it really was true that I was part of a royal family. She was even happier about it once she met Mufasa who freely told her that I was a great brother for her and that she was truly blessed, I of course blushed at the statement.

Kalifa only stayed for a day before flying back to tell our mother and grandfather more about it. That was not the last time I saw her either, she made regular trips to see me once a month to see how things were coming along.

After ten months of living with the pride, I began to notice that Ahadi's health was beginning to diminish rapidly. He rarely joined Mufasa in the afternoon wanderings through the pride lands to make sure everything was alright. He rarely hunted and usually Sarabi had to bring something back to pride rock with her. Usually when I returned with my morning reports, I found him sleeping under one of the trees beside pride rock and oftentimes I thought he was dead, of course I found that a light shaking would wake him up, even if he grouched about me doing it afterward.

It was the end of the dry season when the day came though for Ahadi to join the kings of old with the stars in the sky. I remembered that day well too. I was sitting on a branch near the waterhole waiting for Tafari to give me some interesting news for the day. I was not alone either; Kalifa had come by to spend a few days with me and talk about home.

She was telling me about how our mother had found a new mate and was thinking about having more chicks come along the way, I of course was excited about that, more brothers and sisters! Of course I would probably never meet them with my busy schedule.

While Kalifa talked, I suddenly saw a dark figure move slowly through the grass toward the waterhole. At first I thought it was going to be a rogue lion or Scar but then I realized that the pelt was a little lighter than Scars. I waited for a few moments and that's when I noticed it to be Ahadi. And I was quite surprised to see him up.

"Well would you look at that, Ahadi's up, I wonder if he is starting to feel better," I said happily.

"I don't know Zazu, look at his eyes, they seem so mournful, and his ribs are showing. Zazu I don't think Ahadi will get better," said Kalifa in a rather worried tone.

As I looked at Ahadi more I did notice that his body had grown weaker since I first saw him. You don't really notice these things because you are around them so often until someone else points it out. He almost seemed like a skeleton to me and what was left of his mane looked like a very sick adolescents.

We watched him walk slowly toward the water hole, and every step looked quite painful for him. Finally the inevitable occurred and he stood in the spot he was standing for a moment before collapsing in a heap. I knew that was not good and looked over at Kalifa with a worried face.

"Oh Zazu I don't like what I am seeing, I think we should go check on him," said Kalifa.

I silently nodded and swooped down toward the old lion. When I landed next to him I found that his eyes were closed and at first I thought him to be dead until I saw his chest slowly rising up and down.

"Ahadi….sir….are you alright?" I asked, as I patted his old paws with my wing.

Ahadi opened his eyes but only halfway before speaking. "Taka…..is that you?" he asked in a very weak voice. I did not like the sound of it at all.

"No, sir it's me…." I was about to say my name but he interrupted me.

"Mufasa…..I need to tell you…..something," said Ahadi.

"No sir, it's me Zazu," I said worriedly.

"Where's Taka…..and…..Mufasa….they haven't…..deserted me….have they?" asked Ahadi.

"No sir, they are out hunting with the rest of the pride," I said.

"Then….who's going to…..lead the pride?" asked Ahadi, I could tell that he was now delirious.

"Oh Zazu I don't like this at all, you better go find Taka and Mufasa, I'll stay here with him and keep an eye on him," said Kalifa.

I needed no second bidding and quickly flew off in search of Mufasa and Scar.

It seemed like forever before I found them but it really took no time at all. They were hunting just a few miles from Pride Rock and luckily they were still in stalking mode.

"Sire, I am very sorry to interrupt your hunting," I said as I flew down toward Mufasa while the zebra they had been hunting were now running off to a safer place.

"Zazu you made us loose our lunch," said Mufasa angrily.

"I'm sorry sir but its your father, I was sitting by the water hole and he came walking over but he collapsed, I think he's dying sir," I said worriedly.

Mufasa then looked at Scar who without a word began to run as fast as he could toward the water hole. Mufasa immediately followed and so did I.

When we arrived, we found Rafiki already there and looking quite worried. Mufasa ran up to him.

"Is he alright?" asked Mufasa.

Rafiki shook his head sadly. "He wants to speak with you and Taka one more time, I will leave you three in peace now," said Rafiki who then turned to me and told me to fly out of hearing range.

I moved out of the way and perched on a nearby tree with Kalifa who then began to cry on my shoulder, she had never seen anything like this before and neither did I. While Ahadi spoke to Mufasa and Scar, the lionesses arrived and watched the three males from far away. Even though I could not hear what they were saying I could tell it was sad because I could see tears falling down Mufasa and Scar's face.

About ten minutes later I saw Mufasa and Scar bend their heads down and kiss their father before turning to the rest of the pride.

"Our father is now dead, Rafiki, if you could do so, he wishes to be buried next to our mother under that acacia tree near pride rock," said Mufasa who did his best to hold back the tears.

"I would be honored to do that, but I will need some help carrying him," said Rafiki.

Mufasa and Scar nodded and then began the task of helping Rafiki carry him back to Pride Rock.

The rest of the afternoon was spent burying the old king under the acacia tree next to his beloved, Kalifa and I watched in sadness once he had been fully buried and flowers were placed on the grave site by each lioness of the pride. Kalifa and I even pitched in with putting a flower on the grave.

Once the flowers were set, Mufasa began to speak.

"My father was a wonderful king, he taught me well on how to follow in his footsteps. He knew how to care for the animals of the pride lands and treated all you lionesses as individuals. He was a wonderful husband who was loyal to our mother and understanding when he needed to be, he will surely be missed," said Mufasa who then turned to Scar with a serious face. Scar then began to speak.

"Even though my father did not love me as much as Mufasa, I still respected him. Even though he spent more time teaching Mufasa ways on how to be a king and less time teaching me how to hunt, I still respected him. And to let everyone know, before he passed he informed me that I am first in line to become the next king, it may change though if Mufasa has a child," said Scar who then gave a slight sneer at the mention of a child that would be born to take his place in line. From that moment on I could tell that he did not want his position changed by another lion, especially one much younger than him.

Once the funeral was completed, Kalifa flew down to give her condolences to the king.

"I'm sorry about your loss sir and I am sorry for visiting at such a bad time as this," said Kalifa sadly.

"No apologies young miss, you did not know this would happen and I am glad you were here to witness it, Zazu you have the rest of the day off, since it is time for mourning" said Mufasa.

Kalifa and I nodded and flew back to the tree where Mufasa began to descend Pride Rock. Once he reached the edge, he gave out a loud, mournful roar that echoed the Pride Lands, announcing the death of an old king.

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A/N: There's chapter 11 for you, I hope you all liked it. I will hopefully have chapter 12 up by Friday and hopefully it will be more cheerful than this one. It kinda went well with this week since its fathers day and everything. Well please review and tell me how I did. And have a great week. 


	12. Sarafina

Hello, hello, I'm at a place called Vertigo. Oops ahem, better turn off my music. Any way, new chapter. But first I must tell you what happened today June 21. It rained big time here, how big you asked, well I was driving all the way to the other side of town to baby sit someone and on her side of town, it hailed so bad that there had to be two inches of hail on the ground, no lying it was friggen crazy. Well time to thank my reviewers.

**Nala5: **Thanks for the review, glad you liked my version of Ahadi's death and I'm glad you thought I kept Scar in character, I was trying to do it in a way that did not sound suspicious to everyone. So I'm guessing it kinda worked. Oh and you will find out if Zazu ever falls in love and has kids, don't worry about that. Hope you like this chapter.

**Pichooi: **I hope that was you; there was a U there instead of an I. Any way thanks for the review; I'm glad you liked it.

**Bounding Jackalope: **Thanks for the review and I will continue.

**Gryfffinrose:** Glad you liked this chapter; you'll find that Scar is not as nice in this chapter though. Thanks for the review.

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Now on to chapter 12 where we meet a familiar face for the first time.

A year went by after Ahadi's death and life was peaceful. My daily routines would often go uneventful except for a few times when hyenas decided to invade the pride lands and Mufasa was forced to deal with them. Scar never helped him with the hyenas which I found quite odd. In fact, he did not help him with any thing and sulked around like he always did looking as if he wanted Mufasa to give him the pride lands because he felt sorry for him.

Once I became more used to my "family" I began to feel braver and started to talk to the members of the pride and even teaching Scar some manners in respect and why he should help Mufasa rule the kingdom. Of course after a while this gained me an enemy and a few times he threatened to pull all my feathers out and feed me to the hyenas.

I remember waking up one morning and finding him sitting on the edge of Pride Rock looking even more distraught than usual. I knew he would be because the night before, Sarabi announced that she was pregnant and that a new heir to the throne would be born soon. I of course decided to fly down and try to cheer him up.

"Good morning Scar," I said cheerfully.

Good Morning? More like terrible morning," said Scar with a sneer.

"And why is that?" I asked hoping to give him a happier mood.

"Oh you know why, Mufasa is going to have a kid soon and I will no longer be the next heir in line for the throne," said Scar.

"Why do you want the throne so badly any way?" I asked, a question which I had never asked before until now, and it was a question I would regret because a second later he swiped at me with his paw and pinned me to the ground.

"Why do you have to be so nosey, I want to be king so I can have the feeling of power like Mufasa has. I don't get the same luxury as him and I don't get to sleep where I want like he does, and I don't feel as appreciated as he does that's why," He said in a very angry voice that made me shudder especially with the word why. He then pushed me off Pride Rock but luckily for me I could fly and I flew away from him as quickly as I could. I knew not to bother him for the rest of the day for fear of his wrath.

On that same day, the morning report with Tafari passed by uneventfully like it usually did. So I wandered the pride lands making sure everything was in order, and I was surprised to find that it was a quiet day; usually I had one or two things to report. Everyone must have been taking a day off.

It was a good thing for me to decide to check the farthest border for any signs of problems because when I arrived, I saw something moving slowly in the bushes. I swooped down to get a better look and see what it was, and I was glad I did not come too close to the ground or I would have been food to this hungry lioness who tried to jump up and grab me. Luckily she missed and only caught a few tail feathers.

The lioness roared in anger and tried to swipe again but this time I was too high and with exhaustion she collapsed to the ground looking very tired and worn out.

I knew she was a rogue since I had never seen her before in my life, so I flew down low to see who she was and where she came from, perhaps she was only looking for a home and was not going to be hostile.

"Good morning young lady, is everything alright?" I asked.

She lifted her head up and looked at me slightly annoyed by how her prey was talking to her.

"It would be alright if you let me eat you," she said.

"Well I don't think that would be right, you see I'm the advisor to the king of this land and he would be very disappointed if you ate me," I said in a humorous way.

"A king lives around here! Do you think he will let me join his pride, I have been searching for one for weeks, and I don't think I will last without one much longer," she said.

"I most certainly think he would, follow me and I will take you to him," I said.

"Thank you and I am sorry for trying to hunt you back there I just have not had a meal in days and I need it for the growing cub inside me," she said.

That was then I noticed for the first time that she was beginning to show a slight roundness in her stomach, she looked at least a week ahead of Sarabi.

"Don't worry, we have excellent hunting grounds here, oh and by the way my name is Zazu, what is yours?" I asked.

"Sarafina," she said.

"Well Sarafina come along and we will help you get situated," I said as I flew ahead of her toward Pride Rock.

Even though Sarafina seemed to have had a long journey, she still seemed willing to keep going even though she looked extremely exhausted. With her willingness to keep going we were able to reach pride rock late afternoon about two hours before the sun set. I had never come back so late from my duties and Mufasa was standing on the edge of Pride Rock looking very worried.

I went ahead of Sarafina to give Mufasa the news. When I reached him, he gave a big smile, he was obviously glad that I had returned.

"Is everything alright Zazu, you were gone for a long time I almost wanted to send out a search party," said Mufasa.

"Yes everything is fine, it's just that a newcomer has come to your land and wishes to stay with you," I said.

"Is it male or female?" asked Mufasa.

"Female sir and she has been traveling for many days, and she is pregnant," I said.

Mufasa's eyes widened when I said the word pregnant and quickly ran down Pride Rock to help her. Sarabi had also heard what I had said and watched as her mate ran down to greet Sarafina. She looked at the young lioness worriedly.

"My goodness I looks like she has been through some rough times, I'm glad you found her Zazu, otherwise she would have probably not made it," said Sarabi.

"Me too, I wonder why she left her pride, especially if she is pregnant?" I said.

"Well we will find out soon enough, but first let me assemble the lionesses to start a hunt for her so she can eat and rest," said Sarabi who then climbed down the rock toward some trees where most of the lionesses were enjoying some quality time together.

A few minutes later, Sarafina made it up pride rock and was escorted by Mufasa into the cave. I joined them, hoping to hear anything interesting about her.

"You rest here; Sarabi just sent the lionesses out on a hunt so you will have food soon. And I want to know why you left your pride but I will let you rest before we get into that," said Mufasa.

"Thank you sir, my story is quite sad it is a miracle that I am even alive to tell it," said Sarafina.

"That will keep the lionesses occupied then; in the meantime Zazu and I will leave you alone so you can rest. Sarabi and the lionesses will hopefully return shortly," said Mufasa who then motioned for me to follow him out of the cave. I of course obeyed and decided to spend the rest of the evening in my tree, it had been quite a long and hot day trying to help Sarafina get there but it was worth it.

I awoke the next morning to the roar of Mufasa's booming voice. At first I thought he was mad because I was not up yet, but then I noticed that the sun was not very high up and I should usually be up by this time any way. I peered out of my tree and found him standing in front of all the lionesses and Scar with Sarafina and Sarabi standing beside him. I decided to fly down and see what all the commotion was about.

"Ladies please, I am sure Sarafina will be able to answer all your questions, just one at a time please, her strength still has not returned yet," he said.

"Will it be better if I just told them what happened, it might be easier that way," said Sarafina.

"Actually that does sound better, is everyone willing to here it that way?" asked Mufasa.

The lionesses nodded while Scar moved far away from everyone and lay down against a rock to listen.

"Then let the young lady speak and no interruptions," said Sarabi.

I decided to fly down and sit on Mufasa's shoulder so I could hear better and so he knew that I was up. He did not say a word and went ahead to listen to Sarafina.

"I was born many miles from here, I don't know how far exactly, but it took me at least seven sunrises to get here," began Sarafina. "Well my mother and father were members of this pride and I was betrothed to the king's son named Amari. At first we both found the idea of being betrothed to each other disgusting, since of course we were cubs. But once we got older we began to see each other in a whole new perspective. And that's when we both realized that we both were truly in love."

"Our love was like a fairy tale, peaceful and calm. It almost felt like a dream to me. But as you know some fairy tales don't always end happily ever after. And a year after I was married to Amari, something strange began to happen to the pride. It all started when one of our young females caught and killed a badger to show off in front of the younger cubs. She had quite a fight with it and ended up with a lot of scratches. Any way about a week later she began to behave oddly. She began to stagger around and strange drool would come out of her mouth and she snapped back at everyone. We did not realized how serious it was until one morning she attacked Amari's father before collapsing to the ground and shaking violently. She died a few hours later."

"Amari's father only got a scratch from her but it was enough for him to get the same thing she received only much worse. He became so violent that half the lionesses were either killed or succumbed to the same fate later on. After a week of the strange outbreak, only six of us were still alive and we felt that everything bad had now ended and so Amari took his fathers place and became king while I became queen. But it happened again a week later, Shani one of our members somehow recontacted the disease and attacked Amari; he then killed her in a violent fight that left him badly wounded. Amari knew that his outcome would not be good, so he told me to leave so I could live and sire his offspring for him. I was reluctant to leave but in the end I knew it was for the better."

"It was the hardest goodbye I ever had to face; I did not want to leave him, for he had been so good to me and I had known him all my life. So finally I gave him a quick lick on the cheek before running as fast as I could away from home. I did not look back but I could hear his mournful roar echo throughout the night."

I watched Sarafina as she stood there for a moment, looking like she had lost something very dear to her. Finally she could no longer hold it and broke out in sobs. Sarabi rushed over and let the young lioness put her head on her shoulder and cry her heart out.

Mufasa stood beside her for a moment, watching her before he finally spoke up. "I am terribly sorry about what happened, and you are most welcome to stay as long as you like, in fact since you were a queen how would you like it if our child became betrothed to your child?" he asked.

"Only if you find that right to do sire, I will tell you this though, it worked well for Amari and I," said Sarafina.

"Then we shall do it, I just hope that whatever the disease your pride received did not pass through you," said Mufasa.

"I know it didn't sire, I stayed far away from those who had it, we did have a few lionesses leave in fear because they did not want to receive it either," said Sarafina.

"Well just to make sure, I would like Zazu to send you to see Rafiki, he knows how to heal and help those in need," said Mufasa.

Sarafina nodded and then looked up at me; I was more than willing to take her.

"Come along then, Miss Sarafina," I said.

Sarafina followed me all the way to Rafiki's tree where I found him meditating. It took me a while to gather up the courage and say that I needed him but he seemed to know I was there because he opened one of his eyes and smirked at me.

"I know your there Zazu, what is it?" he asked teasingly.

"Good morning Rafiki, we have a newcomer to the pride, she has been traveling far and wants to make sure she is in good health," I said.

"Oh yes I saw you with her last night, I could tell she is carrying something special too," said Rafiki.

"Yes she is pregnant," I said.

"That's what I meant," said Rafiki who then hit me on the head with his stick, he started doing that to me a lot lately.

Rafiki then jumped down the tree and landed next to Sarafina who nearly jumped in fright by his sudden appearance.

"Oops sorry for scaring you, now tell me where you come from and what seems to be the problem," said Rafiki.

Sarafina related her story again to Rafiki who listened intently and inspected her while she was talking. Once Sarafina finished her story Rafiki then went back to the tree and returned a few minutes later with a strange concoction mixed in a small bowl.

"Here drink this, it will rid of any illnesses you may have and build your strength up," said Rafiki.

Sarafina then drank it while I watched, it made me wonder how Rafiki knew about how to use medicine and which would be the right kind. But as many have said, he is a shaman and shaman do mysterious things.

Once Sarafina finished the bowl, Rafiki asked her to roll over so he could feel her stomach and tell her how many cubs she might have. Sarafina of course did what she was told and relaxed while Rafiki massaged her stomach. He finished a few minutes later and smiled.

"It seems that you are going to have two cubs whether or not what gender they are, I do not know but lets hope they survive the birth because you have been through enough," said Rafiki.

"That sounds wonderful though, two cubs how exciting!" said Sarafina with a big smile on her face.

"Well good luck then, I must go back to my tree and continue my meditation," said Rafiki who then climbed back up his tree and disappeared from view before Sarafina could even say thank you.

Sarafina then got up and walked back to Pride Rock while I followed her for a few minutes.

"Is there anything else you need me to do for you?" I asked.

"Oh no Zazu you have been a great help and again I thank you for finding me and bringing me to Mufasa, I know I am going to love it here, though it will be lonely without Amari sleeping beside me like he always did," said Sarafina with a small tear coming down her cheek.

"Maybe you will find love here, Scar is available just so you know," I said.

"Um, he doesn't look like my type and he seems too serious to me," said Sarafina.

"I see," I said.

"But then again I will have to get to know him eventually, so you may never know," said Sarafina.

"That's true too, well I must go and start my morning report, I am already late enough as it is, will you be alright going back to Pride Rock without me?" I asked.

"Yes thank you," said Sarafina who then sprinted back while I began my regular morning routine hoping that Sarafina would do well here.

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A/N: Well there's chapter 12 for you all. I'm sorry if it did not come out right, I seemed to have trouble with the flow on this one and I apologize for that. Also in case you are all wondering, the disease Sarafina's pride received was rabies, and to those who know a lot about diseases I am sorry if I messed anything up with what rabies does, I read Julies Wolf Pack a few years ago and I tried to make it sound like that, but at least Sarafina did not receive it. Also today June 24th is the 11th anniversary of The Lion King, what a good time for me to update huh? Well please review and I will see you all next week. Have a great weekend. 


	13. The Prince is Born

Lets see here, well my 16 year old car got a crack in the radiator, I fixed it with this special glue like solvent but mom wants to drive it from now on so she can be the one who gets stalled out on the highway. She gave me her car but I never really liked it, it feels weird, I always feel far away from the gas pedal no matter how close I get, plus the back part of the seat makes me sit up more and I can't seem to figure out how to put it back a little. I will probably get a new car by the end of the summer or when I get back from the Disney internship, I don't know yet. Any way now that I bored you with my endless drivel about my car time to thank my reviewers.

**Bounding Jackalope:** Another fast review from you, how fast do you read any way? I'm a fast reader too so I'm not being suspicious or anything. Thanks for the review I'm glad you liked it and good luck with your story.

**Pichooi:** Thanks for the review, glad you liked it. Yeah I thought it was odd for both Sarabi and Sarafina to have only one cub. And I will explain more about the two cub thing at the end of this chapter.

**Skima:** Don't worry you will see what Zazu thinks about those two soon enough I am definitely not going to skip out on that. Thanks for the review

**Gryfffinrose: **Yup two cubs thought it was a good idea any way. Thanks for the review and I hope you like this chapter.

**DarkStar: **Wow thanks for all those reviews, I was not expecting any until my next update and I come on to check my email and I find you, thanks a bunch. Any way Sarafina is Nala's mother according to the Lion King site and all other places that mention the Lion King. I think she is also listed in the end credits too even though she said only one line in the movie. Well thanks again, here's the next chapter.

**MorpheusDreamer: **Yay your back for a few seconds. Glad you liked the death of Ahadi and Sarafina's back story. You will see what happens to the other cub soon, he doesn't die immediately though. And thanks for more tips, commas and me don't get along, I'm still trying to work on that stuff. Thanks for the review, see you soon.

**Nala5**: Thanks for the review and I am sorry about your computer, don't you hate it when those things break on you? And don't worry I don't plan to get Sarafina stuck with Scar. Hope you like this chapter.

**Sunrise19: **Thanks for the review; you'll see what happens to the other cub later on and I am glad you liked chapter 11. Hope you like this chapter.

Now on to the story after using two pages worth to thank everyone,

* * *

**I was waiting for so long**

**For a miracle to come**

**Everyone told me to be strong**

**Hold on and don't shed a tear**

**Through the darkness and good times**

**I knew I'd make it through**

**And the world thought I had it all**

**But I was waiting for you.**

**Hush now**

**I see a light in the sky**

**Oh it's almost blinding me**

**I can't believe**

**I've been touched by an angel with love.**

**Let the rain come down and was away my tears**

**Let it fill my soul and drown my fears**

**Let is shatter the walls for a new sun**

**A new day has come.**

A New Day by Celine Dion. (Who else thinks this is Sarabi's song?)

Two months went by and as nature had always intended it was time for both Sarabi and Sarafina to give birth to their cubs. Because Sarafina's cubs had been conceived first she was of course the first to give birth. It was one of those stormy nights when it happened, at first Mufasa wanted me to find Rafiki and bring him here to help but Sarafina said she was perfectly fine and was willing to deliver them by herself.

I remember watching as the first cub was born an hour after she had the contractions. It was the first time I had ever witnessed a lion birth, so naturally I found it odd to see a slimy ball appear out of nowhere while the mother quickly grabbed it to wash it off.

"Is it male or female?" I asked curiously.

"A female and I have the perfect name for her," said Sarafina.

"What is that?" asked Sarabi.

"Nala, it means 'gift' a 'gift' from Amari before he died," said Sarafina happily.

"It's a beautiful name, I can even hear the words 'Queen Nala' being said in my mind," said Sarabi.

Sarafina smiled before wincing in pain as another contraction came along, signaling that the next cub was going to be born. It took about as long as Nala's and when the next cub finally arrived; Sarafina quickly grabbed it and began to clean it before setting it beside his sister.

"It's a male this time, I think I will name him after his father Amari," said Sarafina. (A/N: Please read my statement at the end of the chapter about this cub.)

"I bet Amari is proud of you for that, you have two lovely children now to show for your perilous journey here," said Sarabi.

"Yes and now my journey is complete," said Sarafina who then set her head down and closed her eyes. We all knew that it had been a long day for her so the lions all moved to the far end of the den for the rest of the night while I retired to my tree like always.

It was two days later when I was awakened very early in the morning by Mufasa who had an urgent sound in his voice. It took me a moment to register what was happening because at first I thought it was just a dream until I then realized that my eyes were open yet I was still not thinking clearly. Finally I jumped up and peeked out of my home. I was surprised to find that the sun was barely up and Mufasa needed me that early.

"What is it sire?" I asked with a loud yawn.

"Announce to the Pride Lands that the new prince is born and get Rafiki, he needs to do the ceremony," said Mufasa.

My eyes widened, the prince had been born and I missed it. "Sire how long ago was he born and why did you not wake me?" I asked.

"He was born two hours after you left, I did not want to disturb you because I wanted you up early to tell the pride lands," said Mufasa.

"I see then, what is his name sire?" I asked.

"We named him Simba, now get going," said Mufasa.

I did not want to anger the king further so I quickly flew out of my home and started flying through the pride lands yelling at the top of my lungs saying that the prince had been born. Many creatures stopped what they were doing and listened as I related the news before heading their way to Pride Rock and seeing the new arrival.

Once I announced it to everyone I flew straight toward Rafiki who seemed to have already got the message since he was climbing down his tree.

"So you heard the news then?" I asked.

"Of course I did, how can anyone miss that much noise made by one small bird," said Rafiki.

"Well he told me to announce it so I did," I said.

"And you did a good job," said Rafiki.

"Thank you, I will meet you back at the rock, I'm going ahead to tell him your coming," I said.

Rafiki nodded while I flew as fast as I could back to Pride Rock. It was a fascinating sight to behold, never had I ever seen so many animals congregate in one spot just to see the prince. I only wished Kalifa was here to see this, but she was not expected to come and visit for another two weeks.

Once I got closer to Pride Rock, I saw Mufasa's majestic figure stand at the edge watching as all the animals arrived. I flew in front of him and bowed, it was one of my ways of saying that I had done the job for him. Mufasa just nodded proudly before being distracted by the parting of animals and the arrival of Rafiki. I watched as he climbed up and greeted Mufasa with a happy hug.

Once they finished greeting one another their attention turned to Sarabi who was cradling the newborn cub in her arms. I saw it for just one moment before Rafiki obstructed my view. But I remember seeing a tiny ball of golden fur look up at him with bright brown eyes; it was such a sweet sight to behold.

For a minute, Rafiki stood over him and anointed the new cub with some juice of a mango Rafiki had brought with him. Once the anointing was complete, Rafiki picked him up and carried him to the edge of Pride Rock.

What happened next was one of the most spectacular things I had ever seen in my entire life. As soon as Rafiki reached the edge, he lifted the tiny cub in the air for all the animals to see. This caused the entire congregation of animals to cry out happily and jump up and down for quite a few minutes. I was surprised that they would actually do this since one of these days that young cub would go hunting for them.

Then something else happened, the clouds parted and began to shine on Simba while the entire congregation of animals bowed to him. I was so amazed by this and turned to Mufasa who was watching everything with happiness in his eyes.

"Look sire how they kneel before the royal son," I said.

Mufasa turned to me and smiled. "Yes what a glorious day for this too, though I can't seem to find Scar any where among the crowd," he said.

"Oh you know him, he's probably nearby sulking like he always does since now he is second in line," I said.

"But he was supposed to join us, I am going to have a little talk with him once this ceremony is finished," said Mufasa.

"I agree, you definitely should," I said.

Mufasa said nothing but instead watched as Rafiki finished the revealing of the cub. Mufasa and Sarabi then moved forward to take Simba away. Rafiki smiled and handed him to Sarabi.

"He did not fuss or anything, I can see that he is going to be a tough little prince," said Rafiki.

"And hopefully a strong king," said Mufasa.

Rafiki only nodded before returning to his stick. "Well I must head back, there are some things that I need to do," he said.

"Thank you for everything my friend and I will see you soon," said Mufasa who then gave Rafiki a big hug. Rafiki quickly hugged back before descended off Pride Rock and back to his tree. Mufasa then turned to me.

"I think I know where Scar might be," he said.

"And where would that be?" I asked.

"In the cave behind the rock, I need you to go ahead and announce that I am arriving, I hope he has a good excuse for not joining the presentation of Simba," said Mufasa.

I nodded and flew ahead, I was not happy with the job I had to do but I did not want to argue with Mufasa since I knew that he already had a long night of helping Sarabi.

I flew to the back of Pride Rock and just like Mufasa said, there was Scar hiding in a small cave and playing with a mouse that he was about to eat. I decided to announce my presence.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?" I asked in an annoyed way.

"What do you want?" asked Scar who seemed more annoyed now that I was there.

"I'm here to announce that King Mufasa's on his way, so you better have a good excuse for missing the ceremony this morning," I said with a small bow, signaling that Mufasa was going to be here soon.

I seemed to have distracted Scar from his meal because a second later, the mouse slipped between his paws and scurried off into a nearby hole and out of reach. Scar did not seem happy about that.

"Oh now look Zazu you made me loose my lunch," he said sounding all nice about it, I knew in truth that he was more angry on the inside. I of course had to go about my duty and pretend that I did not care.

Hah, you'll loose more than that when the king gets through with you, he's as mad as a hippo with a hernia," I said as I crossed my wings.

"Oh I quiver with fear," said Scar in a menacing voice that scared me. He then started stalking me while I backed away from him.

"Now Scar don't look at me that way," I said nervously before I finally took flight and called for help.

Of course I did not fly away fast enough and quickly found myself in Scar's mouth, not a pleasant situation. His breath reeked of dead animals and he seemed to drool a lot. Of course that probably was because I was trying to get out and he was holding me in. Luckily I did not last long in there and I was able to hear the booming voice of Mufasa ordering Scar to drop me.

"Impeccable timing your majesty," I said before I was spat out by Scar and came out looking like a newborn cub. I wiped myself off while I listened to the two brothers argue.

"Why if isn't my big brother descending on high to mingle with the commoners," said Scar as he acted all kind and sweet. Mufasa of course kept his anger and continued to talk.

"Sarabi and I didn't see you at the presentation of Simba," he said.

"That was today, oh I feel simply awful," Scar said in a mock tone while he sharpened his claws against a rock. Not a pretty sound let me tell you. "Must have slipped my mind," he finished as he admired his claws.

"Yes well as slippery as your mind is, as the king's brother you should have been first in line," I said as I flew toward him but then had to hide behind Mufasa after he took a snap at me.

"Well I was first in line until the little hairball was born," said Scar as he bent down at eye level with me and looking very angry by my attitude with him. Well someone has to keep him in line.

"That hairball is my son and your future king," said Mufasa who brought Scar's gaze away from me.

"Oh I shall practice my curtsy," said Scar in the most smart alek remark imaginable before turning away from Mufasa.

"Don't turn your back on me Scar," said Mufasa, he sounded like he was trying to reprimand a cub.

"Oh no Mufasa perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on me," said Scar threateningly.

Mufasa gave a loud and angry roar, one that was usually heard when he had it up to here with his brother's nonsense and ran in front of Scar. "Is that a challenge?" he asked teeth bared.

"Temper, temper, I wouldn't dream of challenging you," said Scar unfazed by Mufasa's anger.

"Pity, why not?" I asked.

"Well as far as brains go I got the lions share but when it comes to brute strength," said Scar staring at his brother as if he wanted to fight before finally walking away. "I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the gene pool," he said.

Mufasa stood there and watched him go; I knew he was not happy with his brother. "Oh there's one in every family sire, two in mine actually," I said as I remembered Ban'ai and Kato and the little skirmish I had with them when I was a chick. "And they always manage to ruin special occasions," I finished as I flew onto Mufasa's shoulder.

"What am I going to do with him," sighed Mufasa.

I decided to lighten the mood and joke around a bit with him. "He'd make a very handsome throw rug," I said.

"Zazu," he said in a "shame on you" kind of voice.

I ignored him and continued to talk. "And just think whenever he gets dirty you can take him out and beat him," I said.

That received a chuckle from Mufasa who then responded. "Better watch out though, he may turn you into a feather duster."

"I seriously doubt that, he will never catch me, he can't even catch a mouse without it slipping through his paws," I said with pride in my voice.

"Don't be so sure he could become happy and spring into action at any given moment," said Mufasa.

I was about to continue when Sarabi ran up to greet Mufasa with a happy face. "Oh Mufasa you must come and see this, Simba, Nala, and Amari have already made friends with each other, it is the most darling thing," she said.

Mufasa just smiled and ran up Pride Rock to watch the new arrivals play, I followed and when we arrived we found Nala pinning Simba to the ground while Amari chewed on Simba's ear, it truly was a cute sight.

"It looks like they were made for each other," said Sarafina.

"Yes but of course it can only be for a little while, who knows what they will think of each other a month from now," said Sarabi.

Mufasa lay down near Sarabi as we continued to watch the little cubs crawl around the cave and play. Of course they were still quite small and could not do much but they still seemed to show the toughness of a lion with their little growls and swatting with their paws.

Finally after a few minutes, Simba seemed to have enough and crawled over to Mufasa where he put his head on his front leg and fell asleep. Mufasa stared at him with happiness in his eyes, it was a darling sight. For a second Mufasa cleaned his cub to get rid of some dirt before putting his head down next to him and fell asleep.

I looked over at Sarabi who was smiling happily. "Looks like Mufasa loves his little heir," I said.

"Mhmmm, and Mufasa needs some rest after that long night with me," said Sarabi.

"Is there anything I can do for you madam?" I asked as I put a wing on her front paw.

"No thank you Zazu, you were a great help this morning, I guess we can give you the rest of the day off," said Sarabi.

"Thank you madam, I am a little hungry, after all, I had not eaten since last night," I said.

"Then you are excused," said Sarabi.

I nodded to her and then flew out of Pride Rock in search of food, and to tell Tafari more about little Simba.

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**Very Important Authors Note! Please Read**: There's chapter 13 for everyone. I hope you all liked it. Now in case you all were wondering, I am going to keep little Amari alive for a little while because I thought that just because you don't see him in the movie, it doesn't mean that he's not there. He could be out playing or hiding between other lionesses. And Nala was originally going to have a brother in the movie but he got scrapped. So I'm just letting you all know about this since it is fanfiction and there are a lot of nitpickers out there. Also according to my hit counter, I had 30 something people read that last chapter, don't be shy I like reviews, just not mean ones. Also I do not know when my next update will be since this weekend I am going up to Salida again with Lady Mia Starstriker. Don't know what we are doing yet but its definitely not going to be rafting. So I will see you all when I get back. Have a wonderful fourth of July and don't burn yourself lighting firecrackers. 


	14. Baby sitting

Wow I'm surprised that no one knew that Nala was going to have a brother, I actually did not know about it either until a few months ago since I've been hanging around the Lion King Fan Art Archive, a really neat place that everyone should check out, there are some really talented people out there. I'm also surprised that I got a lot of reviews while I was gone. I'm surprised that so many people like this story and it makes me wonder why no one read "I'm Her Guardian" when I first joined. Eh oh well, that story sucks any way, well time for the thankies.

**Bounding Jackalope: **I will keep Amari alive for a little while, but I am afraid we will loose him sooner or later, I know it's sad. Glad you liked the song I used, thanks for the review.

**Maran Zelde: **I'm sorry you had to work on the fourth, but at least you got money for it. I don't have a job at the moment and my wallet is getting kinda thin. But that will all change in August. Glad you liked the chapter though and thanks for the review.

**Grfffinrose: **Uh Grfffinrose, I'm not Kiara32 you silly. Glad you liked the chapter though.

**Sunrise19: **Glad you liked this chapter. And Salida is in Colorado on the Arkansas River, kinda in the southwest area near the Sand Dunes. It's a nice little area but it rarely rains or snows. It's crazy too. Last winter we went to Monarch about twenty miles away and they had three feet of snow while Salida had nothing, yeah Colorado has weird weather. Thanks for the review.

**Pichooi: **Oops you caught a small error with Mufasa and Sarabi knowing they were going to have a male. I must have not been paying attention; I hate it when I do that. But yeah let's just say Rafiki told them from now on. Any way the fourth of July for us is our independence from Britain way back in 1776. You can see the declaration of independence in Washington D.C. and it's really cool to see and it's funny because its bomb proof, bullet proof, and water proof, yeah some people are a little paranoid.

**Hyper Strudel: **Glad you like my story, I hope you keep enjoying it and thanks for the review.

**An Insane Video Game Nerd: **Yes his brother's names were Azizi and Sule. And I am guessing you are thinking about my mentioning of Kato and Ban'ai in Chapter 13, those were the two who ruined everything in chapter 3 and that's why he said there's one in every family but two in his. I hope that cleared everything, thanks for the review.

**Simba11: **Glad you liked little Simba and Scar really is a big meanie. And please be patient with me updating, it takes a while to get a good chapter going. Thanks for the review though.

**Skima: **Glad you liked this chapter and I am glad you liked "Surviving the Stampede" as well. Thanks for the review.

**MorpheusDreamer: **Yay your back for a while! Glad you liked the chapter and thank you for the review. Good luck with your new Rafiki's Tale's story.

Now on to my next chapter that will hopefully be good since I am ad libbing. Oh yeah and it happens a few weeks before Simba learns about being king and all that stuff.

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The weeks went by and little Simba grew into a feisty little cub, always on the lookout for another adventure with Nala and occasionally Amari who was kind of a weak cub. He did not grow much and he was usually the one on the bottom of the pile during a scuffle with Simba.

But Simba, Nala, and Amari were not the only cubs in the pride, there were three others. Two of them were brother and sister named Penda and Dume (pronounced Du may if anyone was wondering) a few weeks older than the three cubs. The last one was Kamau, a much older cub who was beginning to show the early stages of a mane, so of course he would usually push the younger cubs around and complain that he should be the baby sitter. I knew that his complaining days would be over sooner or later since some young male lions are kicked out of the pride for being a threat to the king.

I remember having one babysitting adventure with them one afternoon around the time when Simba, Nala, and Amari were loosing most of their younger cub spots. I of course had been sent to watch them that day because Mufasa had planned a big hunt for the entire pride and thought it would be nice for me to get to know the cubs a little better. I was happy to do this since it was a nice way to learn about parenting which I would hope to do sometime in my life. I had been seeing a lot of lovely ladies around that time, but of course they never noticed me and went for someone else.

Any way the day I babysat was a nice warm day, it was not too hot so I knew the cubs would be more playful and energetic.

They were all playing in front of pride rock, next to a cave at the bottom and Simba was having a great time scaring them all and pretending to be a ghost. Of course Kamau was not joining them; instead he sat at a nearby rock pouting and rolling a rock with his paw, so I flew over to him.

"What's wrong Kamau, don't you want to play with them?" I asked.

Kamau gave a long sigh before finally answering. "No, I'm too big for them," he said.

"And why do you say that?" I asked.

"Because my mom told me that yesterday and that it is best for me to start preparing to leave and find my own home, she said I shouldn't be gallivanting since it could happen at any moment, plus I'm old enough, I bet I could baby sit for the pride," he said.

I sighed, I knew his mom would say something like that; Nadira was a very strict mother who usually decided when her cub should play and when not to play.

"I see what you mean, but why not try to spend one more day being a cub even if your mom says you shouldn't, I'll take the blame if she complains about it," I said.

Kamau looked at me with hesitation in his eyes for a moment. Finally in what felt like forever, the young lion got up and ran toward the cave where Simba was still playing his scary ghost game and roared.

He scared the cubs so badly that all five of them ran out and tired to hide behind me, a feat that was quite hard to do.

"Uh Simba I think you just angered the ghost," said Dume.

"But all I did was make spooky noises at you guys, how can that anger a ghost?" asked Simba.

I decided to play along and joined in the conversation. "Well it sounded like you were making fun of him, that could anger anyone if you are not careful," I said.

Suddenly Kamau roared loudly again, causing the cubs to lay low behind me and shiver with fright. I just smiled and hoped that Kamau would not go too far with the game.

"You have made fun of me, now I will haunt this cave forever until one of you apologizes to me face to face," said Kamau who then roared again.

"Oh I don't want him to haunt the cave, he would keep me awake all night," said Amari.

"Yeah and since it's Simba's fault I say he should apologize," said Penda.

"Okay change in plans then, only Simba can apologize since he woke me from my five hundred year slumber," roared Kamau.

"You better go Simba, or your father will be very angry with you," I said in a demanding tone.

Simba gulped and finally moved forward. It was quite a funny site to see because first he would walk a few feet before crouching and then finally deciding to come closer. The other four cubs watched him intently, hoping nothing bad would happen.

Finally Simba reached the edge of the cave and peered in. But before he could even take one more step further, Kamau jumped out and landed on top of him. Simba who only saw a big blur, cried out in fright as both cubs rolled in the grass and came to a stop a few feet away from the four cubs and I.

"Ha ha scared you didn't I," said Kamau.

Simba looked up at him with an angry face. "That was not nice Kamau, you really scared us," he said.

"Yeah I thought you were going to eat him," said Nala.

"Oh come on, it's good to have a little fun now and again especially since I will be leaving soon," said Kamau.

Simba just growled and then pounced on Kamau but because of Kamau's size he quickly flipped Simba over.

"Looks like it will be a while before you can pummel me," said Kamau.

Simba growled in tried again but this time Kamau leapt out of the way and laughed while Simba landed on his stomach.

"I bet you can't catch me either," said Kamau who then began to run.

"I bet I could get him," said Dume who then sprinted after him.

In no time at all, all five cubs chased after the adolescent lion for quite a long time. They would all try to grab him or trip him but he was too quick and soon had the five cubs lying under some trees for time out.

Kamau walked over to them and grinned at them. "Aw are all the babies tired," he said in a baby talk voice.

"No we just had enough of chasing you," said Simba.

"Oh yeah sure, you all had enough of chasing the mighty Kamau," said Kamau.

"Now Kamau be nice to them, I remember you were like them when you were their age," I said.

"Yeah so stop pretending your better than us," said Amari.

"I'm not pretending I'm better than you guys you little runt," said Kamau.

Amari growled and of course tried to pin Kamau down but he lost before he could even lay his paw on the adolescent.

"See your nothing but a runt," said Kamau to Amari.

Amari gave a small whimper before moving away from Kamau and sitting beside his sister who stared at Kamau angrily.

"Don't be a bully Kamau, it's not nice, we should actually look up to you as a grown up and not a big meanie," said Nala.

"Aw can't I have a little bit of fun?" asked Kamau.

"Yes but not the kind of fun that hurts others feelings," I said.

Kamau looked at me in a hesitated look, I could tell he wanted to show off in front of the cubs but also wanted to be friends with them.

"How about this, I'll let you guys pummel me and I won't try to run away," he said.

The cubs jumped up in joy and were soon on top of Kamau biting his ears, pulling his tail, or pretending that they were the most powerful lions in the pile.

Kamau looked over at me and smiled. I could tell that this was going to be a day that would be most remembered for the rest of his life. And I helped him achieve it.

A little while later though, dark storm clouds began to appear causing all six cubs to run back to the main cave before they could get drenched, I of course joined them and listened as they told silly stories until they became more interested in what Kamau planned on doing once he left the pride.

"So where will you go Kamau?" asked Simba.

"I'm not sure yet, but I definitely want a pride of my own so I can rule over the lands and have as many female lions as I want," said Kamau.

The last statement caused all five cubs to give a disgusted look, I chuckled at them. I knew that thought would change once they reached Kamau's age.

"Will you ever come back and visit us?" asked Amari.

"Hmmm it would be nice to see you all grown up one day, I might do that," said Kamau.

"And it would be nice to see you with a full mane," I said.

Kamau just nodded as he continued to answer questions to the cubs before the pride finally returned all soaked and tired from their hunt. Mufasa of course praised me for the outstanding babysitting job I did. And Kamau did not get scolded for acting like a cub, Nadira was actually quite happy that he kept the cubs occupied.

As promised, Kamau was kicked out of the pride about a week later. Mufasa did not even chase him out, he just told him to leave and after a long hesitation and goodbye to his mother, which of course was tearful. He left the pride lands, heading north for a home to call his own.

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A/N: My goodness I must admit that this chapter sucked. I apologize immensely for that mainly because I had a small writers block with this chapter, and I hope I will make it up to you in the next chapter. If you are all wondering, it is not the same Kamau from "Surviving the Stampede" I just love the name and decided to add that name again. He may come back later in the story, I'm still deciding whether or not I should do that. Well hope you all have a great weekend and I will hopefully have a new update on Monday. 


	15. Wanting To Be King

Okay let's see here. I hope those English readers who have been reading this story are all okay after what happened on Thursday. My prayers are with you guys and let's hope terrorist will someday be wiped off the face of the earth. And you lucky Londoners get to have the Olympics, I was so hoping for New York City. Oh well better luck next time. Also if any one wants to I would be happy to chat with you all on aim. Just say so and I will give you my screen name. Well thanky time.

**SunRise19: **Glad you liked little Kamau and I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for the review.

**MorpheusDreamer: **Thanks for lifting my spirits with that review. I did realize after what you said that it is good for it to be calm before everything happens. Any way glad you liked it and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Bounding Jackalope: **Thanks for the review, glad you liked Kamau.

**Pichooi: **Australia is still owned by Britain! I thought you guys were an independent nation. Man I need to read more history. Of course after my last history class I know more about the Black Death than I know about The War of 1812, probably even more than our Civil War too. Any way thanks for the review and I hope you like this chapter.

**Lordwindwalker:** Hey there's someone I have not heard from in a while, I thought you disappeared off the face of the earth. Will you come back to the Long Patrol forums at all? Well any way thanks for the review, glad you liked the story and I am glad you liked my bio too. Hope you like this chapter.

**Grifffinrose:** Guess what? You gave me my one hundredth review! throws confetti in the air It sounds like you did something bad on the fourth, eh that's okay, everybody does. Thanks for the review, hope you like this chapter.

Now on with the chapter

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**I'm gonna be the mane event like no king was before**

**I'm brushing up I'm looking down I'm working on my roar**

**Oh I just can't wait to be king!**

Simba (a.k.a Jonathan Taylor Thomas): I just can't wait to be king.

A few weeks went by and young Simba became quite a frisky little fellow. He never wanted to stop playing and was a great friend with Nala. A good thing too since they were betrothed though they did not know that yet.

I remembered one morning though when Simba was more frisky than usual. I knew why too, Mufasa had taken him to the top of Pride Rock and told him all there was to know about being king. Mufasa then took him for a nice long walk through the pride lands, mainly to discuss the circle of life whatever else there was for a lion to know.

I decided to meet up with them a little while later, just to show Simba how the morning report worked. He had always questioned about it, but he had never really seen me tell Mufasa what was happening that day. I thought it was the perfect time for it and flew in front of them and sat on a rock.

"Good morning sire," I remember saying as I caught up with them.

"Good morning Zazu," said Mufasa who sounded quite proud by his paternal teachings.

"Checking in with the morning report," I said.

"Well then fire away," said Mufasa.

I was glad he said this and went ahead and told him everything I heard including that the leopards were in a bit of a spot and that the elephants just could not forget about that problem with what the wildebeests had done, which was muddy up their favorite part of the water hole.

I wasn't really paying attention to what was happening in front of me, but I guess Simba had found something to pounce on which caused Mufasa to be distracted and pay more attention to Simba rather than my ramblings.

So when Mufasa told me to turn around, I had no idea why and did not bother to ask since he was the king and I had to do his bidding. Of course I continued to ramble on since that day was particularly busy around the waterhole. But I still could hear murmuring behind me so I stopped what I was doing and asked what was happening.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"A pouncing lesson," said Mufasa proudly.

"Oh very good pouncing," I said until I realized that it was me that Simba would be pouncing on so I got a little startled by this. "Pouncing! Oh no sire you can't be serious," I said as I turned to face him. He of course just smirked and motioned with his paw for me to turn the other way again. I just whimpered. "This is so humiliating." I said loudly making sure he knew that.

I don't think he was listening though and I could hear him whisper to Simba which I did not like at all. "What are you telling him Mufasa?" I asked. But when I turned to take a peek, the two were gone, hiding of course somewhere in the bushes. "Simba?" I asked meekly.

Suddenly Simba jumped out of nowhere and landed right on top of me causing me to black out for a moment. I could hear Mufasa laughing in the background at Simba's little prank, I of course felt that my pride had been beaten and just before I could stand up and retaliate against them, I felt something hit me in the back of the head.

"Zazu, sir, news from the underground." It was Gopher, my underground spy. Well not really spy more like helper or something, any way.

"Yes what is it?" I asked.

"My scouts have seen hyenas roaming the southern part of the pride lands," he said.

"Oh dear," I said. Roaming or hunting, that was not good; it was against the law for them to leave the outlands. I had joined Mufasa before on one hyena expedition and it was not a pretty sight, Mufasa actually killed one because he was being so rude. That still did not teach them to stay away and usually invaded about twice a month. I quickly thanked Gopher before jumping up to tell Mufasa.

"Sire hyena's in the pride lands," I said worriedly.

The happiness in Mufasa's face quickly melted away as he began a run to apprehend them.

"Zazu take Simba home," he said as he ran off.

"Aw Dad can't I come?" asked Simba

"No son," said Mufasa. And before Simba could argue further, he was gone.

Simba just pouted and started walking back by himself. "I never get to go any where," he whined.

"Oh young master one day you will be king, then you will chase those slobbery, mangy, stupid poachers from dawn until dusk," I said.

"And I bet it will be with Dad too, he will need the help any way. I know one lion can do damage, but two, oh boy you hyena's better watch out," said Simba who growled and showed his claws while acting like there was a hyena in front of him.

"Oh those hyena's won't stand a chance when you grow up, I'll bet that you will have them running all the way to the end of Africa," I said, it was more of humoring him than telling the truth. I knew the hyenas would run from him but not as far as I said.

"Yeah that would be so awesome; I gotta tell Uncle Scar about this," he said. And before I could even say another word he ran as fast as he could to the back of Pride Rock to tell Scar all about being king. I predicted that Scar was going to be more than thrilled to hear that.

Once I made sure Simba returned to Pride Rock safely, I decided to clean my nest since there was nothing else planned for me to do today and that my nest was very cluttered. There were berry seeds in one corner, shells of some insects in another, and just a lot of old grass that needed to be switched with new grass.

My cleaning of the house only lasted for a half an hour however before I heard Sarabi's voice calling me from below. I quickly poked my head out of the tree and called back to her.

"Yes Madam, what can I do for you?" I asked.

"Simba wants to take Nala to the waterhole, will you go with them?" asked Sarabi.

I sighed, I wanted to finish my work but I knew if I did not take Simba or Nala to the waterhole, Simba would be pestering everyone all day to take him so I knew I had no other choice.

"Yes I will Madam; will the other cubs join them?" I asked, that was always important to know since they were known to appear out of nowhere.

"No just Simba and Nala, Amari and the others are playing in the caves and you know how they will stay there until they get bored," said Sarabi.

"I know what you mean," I said as I flew down in front of the two cubs who looked quite upset that I was taking them to the waterhole. They have been like that lately, always thinking that they did not need someone to watch over them, just like Kamau was.

Without a word I began to lead them toward the waterhole, hoping it would be a quick one since I wanted to finish my house cleaning.

"Step lively, the sooner we get to the waterhole, the sooner we can leave," I told them.

They seemed to ignore my statement and began whispering to each other, I of course thought they were just secretly telling stories, but I would soon find out that I was very much mistaken. Still I was glad they were chatting like this, it showed that they were good friends and possible mates, I decided to make this known and flew down to them.

"Oh just look at you two little seeds of romance blossoming in the savanna, your parents will be thrilled, since you are being betrothed and all," I said proudly.

"Be-what?" asked Simba with a confused look on his face.

"Betrothed, intended, affianced," I said. I knew I should have never have used those words, they were still quite young to know those and gave a very puzzled look.

"Meaning?" asked Nala sounding a little annoyed.

"One day you two are getting married," I said straight out.

As soon as the word married came out of my beak, both Simba and Nala gave a disgusted look, something that all young animals did at the thought of romance.

"I can't marry her, she's my friend," said Simba.

"Yeah it'll be so weird," said Nala.

I crossed my wings and gave them the all important grown up look. "Well sorry to bust your bubbles but you two turtle doves have no choice, it's a tradition going back generations," I said. I knew about this because Mufasa told me how he married Sarabi which was the same was his father Ahadi had married Uru and how all his grandparents did the same.

"Well when I'm king that'll be the first thing to go," said Simba acting as if he already was one.

"Not so long as I'm around," I said hoping to get his spirits down.

"Well in that case you're fired," said Simba. Kids today, they think they can do everything.

"Oh nice try but only the king can do that," I said as I tapped Simba lightly on the nose.

"Well he's the future king," said Nala.

"Yeah so you have to do what I tell ya," said Simba who then pushed me in the stomach with my paw. I remained firm.

"Not yet I don't and with an attitude like that I'm afraid you're shaping up to be a pretty pathetic king indeed," I said.

"Hah, not the way I see it," said Simba who then pounced in front of me and gave a big and evil grin. "I'm gonna be a mighty king so enemies beware."

As he said that, he backed me up into a log which then caused me to get my rump stuck in a knothole. I quickly wiggled my way out of it and returned his statement.

"Well I've never seen a king or beast with quite so little hair," I said as I pulled a piece of hair off Simba's head. Simba gave a slight flinch before jumping between a bush that made him look like he had a mane.

"I'm gonna me the main event that no king was before, I'm brushing up I'm looking down, I'm working on my roar," said Simba.

When he said the word 'roar' he caused me to fall back into some mud where I came out sputtering and unable to see where I was going or what I was doing.

Thus far it's a rather uninspiring thing," I said as I wiped my face on what I thought was a leaf but it quickly turned out to be an elephant whose ear I just soiled. He gave me a piece of his mind by whacking me with his trunk sending me flying for a few seconds before I landed in a part of the water hole drenched from claw to beak. Luckily I landed near Simba and Nala and began to argue with them.

"You have a long way to go young master if you think…" I began but was soon interrupted by Simba.

"No one saying do this," he said.

No one saying be there," said Nala

"No one saying stop that," said Simba.

"No one saying see here," they both said as they mocked me by making faces at me before running off.

"Now see here!" I yelled back at them but they were gone and caused me to fly after them. I would have given up on them right there but it was my duty to watch them and I knew I would be in trouble if I didn't

"Free to run around all day, free to do it all my way," said Simba as I finally found them riding atop some ostriches. I flew beside him and started to give him a nice lecture.

"I think its time that you and I arranged a heart to heart…" of course I was so into what I was doing that I was not paying attention and flew strait into rhino rear. Not a pleasant thing to run into. Simba and Nala just laughed as they passed me.

"Kings don't need advice from little hornbills for a start," he said.

Once I got myself off the rhino I jumped on a log and called back to the bratty prince. "If this is where the monarchy is headed count me out, out of service, out of Africa, I wouldn't hang about," I said before I fell down a waterfall but quickly flew out of. "This child is getting wildly out of wing." I said angrily as I again began my search for him.

This time as I followed him through the waterhole, I realized that he had to be up to something because one second he was going through a tunnel of Zebra's, who mind you decided to moon me as I passed, what a lovely sight that was. Then I found him and Nala prancing around a herd of elephants, an easy way to get squashed.

I thought I had him until I suddenly found myself being trampled by an array of animals. I don't know how I managed to survive that. I received more dust in my mouth than I had ever wanted to receive and all because I had to watch Simba and Nala.

Then just as I dusted myself off a pair of monkeys grabbed me and held me still while they groomed me. Luckily I could see what was going on with Simba and Nala as they were thrown in the air by a group of giraffes and surprisingly enough, Tafari was part of it, I could not believe he would sink so low, I planned to have a talk with him once I got out of this mess.

Of course the next mess I was in I had no idea how I got into it in the first place. One minute I was being held by monkeys, the next I was in the middle of rhino rear yet again. But this time instead of being planted to his buttocks, I was holding it up, a feat that I have yet to understand how I even accomplished.

Of course I could not hold the position long and a few seconds later I was flattened by the rhino which I learned was a girl. But you all probably did not want to know that. Any way once everything was silent under there, I noticed that it was just as silent as it was outside, that worried me, I had to know where Simba and Nala went.

"I beg your pardon madam but get off! Simba? Nala?" I cried though I knew my cries were muffled from where I was. But luckily she heard me and jumped up.

"Oh dear I am so sorry about that, if I would have known that you were the one holding me up I would have ended that silly game with the prince," she said.

"Quite alright, quite alright," I said as I dusted myself off and made sure every bone in my body was still intact.

"My goodness that prince is a lively fellow isn't he," she said.

"Yes he is, now tell me did you see which way they went?" I asked.

"Yes I did see him, he went that way," she said as she pointed her horn towards a specific direction.

I looked to where she was pointing and at that instant I knew it was not good. Simba had run off with Nala toward the Elephant Graveyard.

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A/N: Dun dun Dunnnnnn. Looks like the action is ready to start so hold on to your seat belts. Also was the flow okay on this chapter, I felt it was little off mainly because I was having trouble with it and everything. I hope you liked it any way. Oh yes and I highly recommend seeing "War of the Worlds" if you like Spielberg or disaster flicks because I saw that movie this weekend and it was awesome. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I barely breathed because it was so intense. Any way please review and my next chapter will be up by Friday. Have a great week. 


	16. Simba in trouble

I like to move it move it, she likes to move it move it. I like to……..move it. Oh God I must get that Madagascar song out of my head.

**SunRise19: **I am now officially jealous of you. The Lion King on Broadway is the top Broadway production I have wanted to see. That and Cats, but Cats is gone  any way thanks for the review and Happy Birthday, I hope it's wonderful. Hope you like this chapter.

**Bounding Jackalope:** Thanks for the review, glad you liked how I handled Zazu. Hope you like this chapter.

**Gryfffinrose:** Glad you and Sasha liked the chapter, too bad she is gagged right now or I would give her some cat nip. Oh what the hell here you go sugar. Thanks for the review.

**Simba11:** Cute song, I like it. Thanks for the review and I hope you like this chapter as well.

**Pichooi:** Thanks for the review, glad you liked it, hope you enjoy this one.

**MorpheusDreamer: **Thanks for the review. I laughed when you mentioned the thought of him having a feather duster. He would probably use his own tail feathers, lol. Any way I hope you like this chapter.

Now time for a new chapter.

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Never in my life did I feel as scared as I was at the moment I figured out where Simba and Nala were headed to. And yes it was even scarier than that time in the storm with my brothers and sister. I knew that if I did not stop them, their lives would be in jeopardy and I would never forgive myself since I was the one responsible.

In case you are wondering, the elephant graveyard is a place in the outlands where many elephants go to die. It is a mystery why they do so since the elephants in the pride lands are very quiet about their culture. Any way I had been there before quite a few times with Mufasa and even though he was there with me, I still felt terribly unsafe for who knows what would be lurking in some cracks near a jaw bone or a tusk and take Mufasa by surprise.

I flew as fast as I could to catch up to the two cubs but by the time I found them, they were already in the elephant graveyard and Simba was leading Nala toward a rather large elephant skull.

"There's only one way to know, come on lets go check it out," I could hear Simba say as I flew in front of his face.

"Wrong, the only checking out you will do is to check out of here," I said as I pushed him back, urging him to go back to the pride lands.

"Aw Man," sighed Simba who was now acting like I ruined his whole day.

"We're way beyond the boundary of the pride lands," I said worriedly as I looked around at the dust filled graveyard.

"Little Banana Beak is scared," said Simba with a grin.

"It's Mr. Banana Beak to you Fuzzy and right now we are all in very real danger," I made it clearly obvious this time that they should not be fooling around, I could sense hyena presence and I was not liking it.

"Danger hah! I walk on the wild side, I laugh in the face of danger. Ha Ha Ha Ha!" Simba cried out happily. I knew he was showing off for Nala just to show her how brave he was.

Suddenly the sound I didn't want to hear revealed itself in the elephant skull behind us. Hyena laughter. I was surprised that Simba ran behind me at the sound of their voices since I thought he would try to be even braver and scare them away. I was happy he didn't do that though and I stood in front of both Simba and Nala as the three hyenas I did not want to see appeared, my wings spread ready to sacrifice my life for them. It was better that way; a new king is hard to come by.

"Well, well, well Banzai what have we got here," said Shenzi.

"Hmm I don't know Shenzi, what do you think Ed?" asked Banzai.

Ed of course just gave his comical laugh as all three of them got closer to us, revealing their razor sharp teeth and their dripping tongues.

"Just what I was thinking a trio of trespassers," said Banzai.

"And quite by accident let me assure you, a simple navigational error," I said as I tried to turn around and make a run for it with Simba and Nala but was quickly stopped by Shenzi who put her paw on my tail feathers.

"Whoa, whoa wait I know you, your Mufasa's little stooge," said Shenzi with evilness in her eyes.

"I madam am the kings majordomo," I said matter of factly to her. But she just growled and backed me up against Simba and Nala who were being circled by Banzai and Ed.

"And that would make you?" asked Banzai to Simba who still remained strong but I could tell he had a look of worry in his eyes.

"The future king," said Simba angrily.

"Do you know what we do to kings who step out of their kingdom?" asked Shenzi.

"Bah you can't do anything to me," said Simba, I guess he knew his dad would pummel them if they did. I of course had to tell him the truth.

"Uh technically they can we are on their land," I said. The next thing Simba said was totally shocking and I knew that the hyenas would get mad when they heard it.

"But Zazu, you told me they're nothing but slobbery, mangy, stupid poachers," he said while I tried to shush him but of course that did not work.

"Ixnay on the oopidstay," I said under my breath, of course it was loud enough for the hyenas to hear.

"Hey who you calling an oopidstay," said Banzai angrily.

I knew we tried their patience and I knew we had to get away before anything else happened so I quickly pushed Simba and Nala away from the hyenas.

"Oh my my look at the sun, its time to go," I said to the hyenas but Shenzi quickly jumped in front of us.

"What's the hurry we'd love to stay with you around for dinner," said Shenzi.

"Yeah we could have whatever's…..lion around," said Banzai who then laughed at his stupid joke.

Luckily their stupid jokes got them distracted enough for us to run for it. But they did not get distracted for long as I heard Banzai yelling that we had escaped. I did not fly away for long because a few seconds later I felt a paw grab me by my tail feathers. I knew I was trapped.

"Well it looks like we got the majordumbo," said Banzai.

"Ha ha, good one because if I was him I would be smart enough to keep my beak out of everyone's business," said Shenzi.

I gulped; I hated to know what they would do to me, especially since their hatred had grown for me ever since I became Mufasa's advisor. I did not like the sound of Ed's laughing either when he made his joke.

"Yeah your right Ed, a trip to the birdie boiler does sound good," said Banzai.

I shivered with fright as Shenzi carried me towards the nearest birdie boiler, it was a different one from the last one and this one seemed to be a much tighter squeeze.

Banzai quickly grabbed me out of Shenzi's mouth and pretended to do that puppet show with me again.

"The little majordomo birdie hippety hopped all the way to the birdie boiler," he said as he dunked me in.

"Oh know not the birdie boiler!" I cried as I felt the hot bubbles start to lift me out and before I even knew it, I was flying through the air yet again and this time I was lucky enough to land on something soft. Mufasa.

Mufasa jumped with a start and then turned around to see me on his back; I gave him a dazed and confused look causing him to smile.

"Zazu what happened, bad day house cleaning?" asked Mufasa with a chuckle.

I quickly shook myself back to reality and gave Mufasa a serious look. "Mufasa come quick, I was baby sitting Simba and Nala and they disobeyed me, and they went into the elephant graveyard, now they are being attacked by hyenas," I said in a very fast paced way, yet Mufasa understood it and was running as fast as he could toward the graveyard even before I said hyenas.

I had never seen Mufasa run so fast in all my life, I actually had to hold onto his mane just to keep up with him. It was a good thing his son was valuable to him or Simba would not have a chance.

We arrived just in time too; Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed had them cornered under an elephant rib bone. Simba was again trying to be brave for Nala but his roars came out as pitiful squeaks. Luckily Mufasa's roar caused all three to look startled before being swiped by Mufasa who like a mad dog slashed, bit and clawed at the three unmercifully for trying to kill the cubs.

A few minutes later, Mufasa stood above them growling angrily as they whimpered at him.

"Silence!" he roared hoping to get them to stop with their stupid talking.

"Oh we'll shut up right now," said Banzai obviously not getting the point.

"If you ever come near my son again…." Said Mufasa.

But of course he could not finish his sentence as the three began to argue that they had no idea Simba was his son. Yeah right and I'm Walt Disney.

Of course Ed did not seem to get the point with Shenzi and Banzai's statement that they did not know that Simba was Mufasa's son and just nodded dumbly when they asked him what he thought. Mufasa roared with rage and that was enough to send the hyenas running as fast as they could away from the angry king.

Once they disappeared I flew up to Mufasa and nodded at his good way of handling those brutes. He just gave me an angry scowl that caused me to cringe in fright. I knew it was my fault for not watching them carefully and I knew we were going to have a talk about it sooner or later.

I then saw Simba and Nala run up to Mufasa in safety and Simba looked very guilty about what happened. "Dad I…" he started.

"You deliberately disobeyed me," said Mufasa with anger in his voice.

"I'm sorry," said Simba shyly.

"Let's go home," said Mufasa who then began to walk as fast as he could back to the pride lands.

I followed behind him while Simba and Nala took up the rear, both looking like they had lost a game with the other cubs.

"I thought you were very brave," Nala whispered to Simba. A statement that Mufasa did not catch but I did.

The late evening sun began to sink down the horizon, creating a pink and purple color that absolutely looked stunning. Of course no one could stop and enjoy it, not with Mufasa's anger that I sensed would explode any minute.

I looked back at Simba and Nala, both of their heads hung low in shame and both kept silent about the situation. They knew they had done something wrong.

Zazu!" I was then startled by Mufasa's angry voice calling me over. I flew in front of him and looked up at him nervously.

"Yes Sire?" I asked in a scared voice.

"Take Nala home, I've got to teach my son a lesson," he said which caused Simba to duck into the grass in fear while Nala watched him worriedly.

I flew over to them and put my wing on Simba's shoulders. "Come Nala, Simba…..good luck," I said before flying off with Nala trailing behind me.

We walked together back to Pride Rock in silence for the first half until I heard Nala's small voice call to me, I looked down at her.

"I'm really sorry about today, if we would have known about those hyenas we would have never strayed far," she said with tears in her eyes.

I flew down and stood in front of her, my eyes level with hers. It was the first time I had noticed they were green, a beautiful color that was rare in lion eyes.

"It's okay, I was a young one once and I always wanted to go on an adventure, one thing I've learned about getting into trouble is that it teaches you to become smarter about what is in store for the future," I said while she stood there crying, I wiped a tear from her eye with my wing.

"Oh Zazu, I was never as scared as I was while trying to escape those hyenas, I knew we should have listened to you but Simba is just so hard not to follow," said Nala.

"Like I said before its okay, you are young; you're not supposed to listen to your elders all the time. Besides much worse things could have happened that being reprimanded by your mother tonight," I said.

Nala said nothing but quickly wiped her eyes and began walking back with me beside her. While we headed back I told her about my adventure in the horrible thunderstorm that took Sule's life. Of course it was not as dangerous as the hyena incident but it seemed to keep Nala from feeling bad while she was all ears listening to my story.

We finally arrived at Pride Rock just as it became dark. Sarabi and Sarafina were both watching and waiting for their cubs to come home and when Sarafina saw Nala coming toward her, she jumped for joy and ran to great her, Sarabi was close behind.

"Oh Nala I was so worried about you, where have you been?" she asked.

"And for that matter where's Simba?" asked Sarabi worriedly.

"He is having a talk at the moment with Mufasa about their little outing today," I said.

"Outing?" asked Sarafina who then gave Nala a questionable look.

"Oh mom we didn't know any better, we thought the elephant graveyard would be awesome to visit," said Nala.

Sarafina and Sarabi both looked at Nala in shock, they both knew about the elephant graveyard and both of them knew of its danger.

"Well young lady I must say that I am very surprised that you would even do such a thing, though because I am so glad you are safe and sound, you will not be punished, you have been through enough to deal with my wrath," said Sarafina.

Nala just nodded while she was lead back into the cave. Sarabi stood there looking at me, looking as if she wanted to hear the whole story.

"Madam I can tell you want to hear the whole story," I said.

"I do and don't skip anything," said Sarabi.

I nodded and began to tell her everything that happened from Simba's little shenanigan about how he wanted to be king to Mufasa rescuing them from the hyenas jaws. Of course Sarabi gave very worried looks whenever I told her how the hyenas tried to hurt them.

By the time I finished telling her what happened, Mufasa returned with Simba who looked as if he had not even received any punishment at all but looked proud, Mufasa must have given him another lecture about being a king.

"So did he learn his lesson about exploring through unfamiliar territory?" asked Sarabi as she checked Simba to make sure he was not hurt, something all mothers like to do.

"Oh yes, I believe I straightened him out nicely," said Mufasa.

Sarabi gave a big sigh and then put her face up against Mufasa's. "Thank you so much for bringing him back to me, if we lost him, I don't know what I would have done," she said.

Mufasa returned a cuddle and rubbed up against her before looking back into Sarabi's eyes.

"I know we would have tried again, it would not have been easy seeing Simba gone but somebody needs to take my place one day," said Mufasa.

"I agree and Scar does not seem up to par, have you seen the way he acts lately, ever since Simba was born, I think he's been jealous," said Sarabi.

"That's my brother for you, but as you know, he's always been jealous of everything, even you having me for a mate," said Mufasa.

"Uhgh I remember how he used to follow me around and try to get me to love him, I even told him once that you cannot force love but I think he still does not understand that," said Sarabi who then began to rub up against Mufasa again, who also returned his love to her. It was truly a sweet sight. Made me wish I had a mate of my own.

"You know, we have not had time alone in a while," said Mufasa after a few minutes of each other cuddling.

"Your right we haven't and I think you deserve one after that successful rescue today," said Sarabi.

Mufasa just smiled and again cuddled up against Sarabi and before I even knew it, both were lying in the cool grass enjoying each others company. I knew it was best to leave them alone so I headed back to my nest.

But before I could even reach it, I saw two figures sitting together on a small hill near Pride Rock, I knew they were Simba and Nala and being the concerned baby sitter that I was I decided to spy on them.

"So what did your dad do to you after I left?" asked Nala.

"Nothing, he just told me that even king's get scared, and that being brave, doesn't mean I should go looking for trouble," said Simba.

"Wow, your father sounds very wise," said Nala.

"Yeah he even told me about those bright specks in the sky," said Simba.

"What are they any way?" asked Nala.

"Their great kings of the past looking down on us," said Simba.

I watched as the two stared fascinated at the stars for the longest time before Simba finally shook his head and turned to Nala.

"Looking up at the sky for a long time hurts," said Simba trying to straighten out his neck.

"Yeah it does, and you know I've been thinking," said Nala.

"About what?" asked Simba.

"About what Zazu said today," said Nala.

My heart suddenly beat a mile a minute, the cubs were actually thinking about something I had told them today, I found it surprising because usually the cubs ignored me because I always stuck my beak where it was not wanted, but I was the majordomo I had to know what was going on.

"Well he said a lot of things, which thing were you thinking of?" asked Simba.

"About us being betrothed," said Nala.

Simba stared at Nala in shock for a quick second before finally answering her.

"What about it?" asked Simba.

"After seeing how brave you were today, I know you will make a fine king when you grow older and you will need a princess to go with this whole Pride Rock of yours," said Nala.

"But I'm your friend Nala; we play together because we have so much in common, like how we both like to pull Zazu's feathers and that we don't like Amari around us that much," said Simba, I could tell he was still not getting the point.

"Oh don't you see Simba, we have so much in common that I'm sensing our friendship will one day become deeper," said Nala. For a young cub she sure knew a lot about the birds and the bees.

I then saw Simba stare into Nala in a different way, a way I had never seen him stare at her before. He smiled while she smiled back before giving him a quick lick on the cheek. Simba blushed slightly before he returned her kiss.

"We should make a promise that we should never love anyone else but each other," said Nala.

"I agree because I think you're very pretty and who knows how much more pretty you will look in the near future," said Simba who seemed to take his time trying to make those words come out.

"Don't be so shy Simba, we are future mates now, we can say whatever we want to each other," said Nala.

"What if I call you a big sissy in front of the other cubs, will you change our plans?" asked Simba.

"No I'll just know you are trying to be a show off," said Nala who then pounced on him and knocked Simba over. Simba just smiled for a minute before jumping up and tried to pin Nala, without much success.

Soon the two were chasing each other around Pride Rock before Simba finally collapsed in exhaustion at the foot of the rock and gave a big yawn.

"I'm tired now," said Simba.

"Well we did have a busy day, you got up early to hear about being king, then we tried to avoid Zazu and then we were cornered by those hyenas, no wonder you are tired," said Nala who then gave Simba a small punch in the shoulder before climbing back up Pride Rock.

"Hey can you carry me?" asked Simba with a grin.

Nala just giggled before running back up by herself to the cave, she was playing hard to get. Simba was about to jump up and go after her but was quickly scooped up by Sarabi.

"I'll be happy to carry you," she said.

"Thanks mom," said Simba with a yawn.

I watched as the family happily climbed up pride rock for a good nights rest, the last they would ever have together.

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A/N: There's a nice long chapter for you all, I hope it was not too sappy or out of character or anything, I tried my best to keep it toned down a little on the sappiness. So as you all can see, Simba and Nala proclaimed their love before Simba "dies" kinda sad if you think about it. That's probably one of the reasons why Nala never had a mate; the other which is more understandable was because Scar was a big meanie head. Any way please review and tell me how I did. Also have a great weekend, I will see you all on wendsday. 


	17. Stampede

Well I have become addicted to Sea World Tycoon, a game where you get to be the manager of the park and decide where to put stuff. It's fun watching tourists get mad too because of long lines and stuff. So try it out guys. Any way thanks time.

**Sunrise19**: Oh you'll see what happens when Scar is king; it will not be pretty believe me. There will be a very good reason why he lives in that cage. Glad you liked this chapter as well and thanks for the review.

**Pichooi:** Actually this chapter will not be the sad one, I'm reserving the sadness until chapter 19, it's mainly action and talking again in this chapter. And I am glad you liked this chapter, hope you enjoy this one.

**Bounding Jackalope:** Glad you liked the Simba and Nala part thanks for the review and I hope you like this chapter.

**Simba11:** Thanks for the review, I have not heard that song in so long, it was so annoying back when I was like 10 but now it's kinda silly. Any way thanks for the review, hope you like this chapter.

**Gryfffinrose: **Thanks glad you liked it. Gives Sasha more catnip.

**Sulkenwolfpup a.k.a silly reviewer: **Oh my goodness I nearly had a heart attack seeing all those reviews since I thought it was from new reviewers and stuff but then I was like yay it's Sulkenwolfpup back from the dead. Any way so you want Ban'ai in another chapter eh, well I'll see what I can do since I have everything kinda planned out. Thanks for the better explanation of rabies; I should pay more attention to what I am writing sometimes since I just get carried away. Any way Kamau is pronounced just the same way it sounds. And sorry about the vow thing, I was wondering why I felt I was taking the idea from something else, I just had no idea what and you hadn't updated your story in so long I kinda forgot about it until you updated the other day. So I apologize for that. Well hope you like this chapter and thanks for all those reviews.

**MorpheusDreamer: **I saw those drawings Kallynn (sp?) did at the lion king fan art archives and they were awesome, now too bad those stories cannot be made into a movie or something. Any way thanks for the review hope you like this chapter.

Well story time.

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The day started out like any other day. The only difference was that, Amari wanted Nala to play with him since she had not done so in a while which left Simba alone to play with the other cubs near the den, meaning I did not have to watch him and went about my daily tasks. 

I met Tafari out by the water hole to see if I had missed anything as of yesterdays morning report. When I first saw Tafari I noticed how tired he looked and I first assumed it must have been some creature of the pridelands keeping him up all night.

"Good morning Tafari, sleep okay?" I asked obviously knowing the response.

"Sleep, what's that? It must be something that many don't believe in, first I sleep under this acacia tree only to find the baboons had found some fermented berries and decided to jump around the whole night making the worst ruckus in the world. Then I ended up sleeping in a nice spot about a mile from the outlands. What a mistake that was, the hyena's had to have been laughing the entire night, probably over nothing, you know how stupid those creatures are," said Tafari.

"I am sorry to hear about your bad night, and its odd hearing that the hyenas were laughing seeing how Mufasa nearly killed three of them yesterday," I said.

"Hmph they must have been laughing at those who got hurt, they laugh at such inappropriate things," said Tafari.

"True, I don't know why they enjoy tormenting others," I said.

"Well that's nature for you," said Tafari.

"Well other than what you have told me, anything else new?" I asked.

"Ijaba the rhino finally had a calf yesterday evening, you know how long she has been trying to have a calf of her own and a member of my herd got his head stuck in a tree but it was no problem getting him out seeing it always happens to him, that's mostly it, not much happening, not like yesterday, what was up with yesterday?" said Tafari sounding a little disoriented about all the strange things happening in the morning and Simba's little romp.

"Well I'm glad to hear about Ijaba, she has wanted a calf for so long, let's hope it survives for a long time. And I agree with yesterday, must have been something with the moon or the beginning of the dry season," I said.

"That's possible, I remember something like that happened a few years before you were born, of course Mufasa did not start a big dance number or anything but I think Rafiki was close enough to," said Tafari.

I chuckled at the thought of Rafiki dancing. I could imagine him jumping up and down with his stick high in the air and his white beard going everywhere. It reminded me that I had not seen Rafiki in a long time, at that thought I made a decision to go see him later that evening. I then quickly thanked Tafari and flew off to make sure everything else was in order.

Once I had finished exploring the pride lands, I found Mufasa a few miles from Pride Rock patrolling his land near a nearby gorge that would sometimes flood during a hard rain and was a very dangerous place if you were not too careful when exploring the area; I quickly flew down to him and landed on his shoulder.

"Good morning sire," I said.

"Good morning Zazu, still shaken after yesterday?" asked Mufasa.

"No not at all, I just arrived to give you the morning report," I said.

"Oh good, go right ahead and when you are finished I need to talk to you about something important," said Mufasa.

I gulped, wondering if I was in trouble for not watching Simba properly yesterday and at that moment I wondered if he was going to replace me. I of course remained calm and began my report.

"Well Ijaba finally had a calf yesterday and what's really strange is that I was told the hyenas were laughing all night," I said.

"Hmmmm very strange indeed though I have found that humor is the best medicine for aches in pains so maybe they were telling mean jokes about me," said Mufasa with a slight smile on his face.

"I don't see how that is a good thing sir," I said.

"Oh they have the freedom to make fun of me, I'm not around to hear it so I won't get offended, but if they ever started spreading wild rumors about me," said Mufasa who then made a slicing motion with his neck.

"Oh that would not be a pleasant situation," I said nervously.

"Any way now that you are finished with the morning report I need to talk to you about your baby sitting job yesterday," said Mufasa.

I knew I was in trouble and I knew I was getting busted for it so I decided it was best for me to just spit it out. "I'm so sorry about yesterday, that cub of yours overpowered me, I could not keep up with him. I would have told you as soon as I figured they had visited the Elephant Graveyard but I felt I could get them back home but the hyena's came too fast for us, I tried to protect them too, I really did, but those hyena's just would not leave us alone," I said as fast as I could while pleading on my knees in front of him.

"Zazu calm down, you're not in trouble for yesterday, Simba told me all about it, how you stood in front of them, just so they could get you and not my son, I find that very noble," said Mufasa.

"Really, so you're not mad at me?" I asked while sweat beaded down my face.

"No I know you did your best, I was like that when I was his age, I never wanted to listen, I just wanted to go where I pleased," said Mufasa.

"Really! You?" I asked all surprised at the fact that Mufasa was a naughty cub.

"Yes in fact I remember one time I was fascinated by a small group of bees around this one flower. My father told me to stay away or I would get stung, well I did not listen and went down to see them and by accident I tripped and fell on the flower. My nose hurt for days after," said Mufasa.

"Ouch," I said as I touched my beak wondering if a bee would be able to sting my large beak, probably not and it would probably be an interesting site seeing a bee trying to sting my rather large beak.

"Like I said before, I thank you for your nobleness in protecting them, I don't want to know what would have happened when you were not there," said Mufasa.

I was about to make a statement when I heard a soft rumbling behind me and was instantly distracted by the noise. I wondered if it was rain coming our way but there were no clouds any where until I saw a large dust cloud accumulate around the nearby gorge. It was from the wildebeests and they were running, a strange thing for them to do this time of year, something must have spooked them.

"Oh look sire, the herd is on the move," I said pointing toward the gorge.

Mufasa stopped walking and turned around to look. "Odd…." He said quietly.

Suddenly Scar came running up to us wide eyed and looking worried. "Mufasa quick, stampede, in the gorge, Simba's down there!" he finally said.

"Simba!" said Mufasa worriedly and without another word began to run straight toward the gorge.

I was nearly thrown off by Mufasa's sudden charge but luckily I regained my footing and jumped off Mufasa so I could fly beside them. As we ran toward the gorge, thoughts raced through my mind. How did Simba get down there? Was he still okay? And if he was, how were we going to save him?

My thoughts were suddenly erased when Mufasa yelled down to me. "Zazu, when you reach the gorge, I want you to find Simba and if you do find him tell him that I am on my way to get him and then report back to me," he said without any shortness of breath.

"Yes sire," I said as I followed right behind him.

We reached the gorge a few seconds later and as soon as I reached the edge, I swooped down to find the young cub. At first when I began my search, I believed it to be bleak because the wildebeests were everywhere, stirring up dust and pounding the ground with their many hooves, no one could survive such a stampede if they were in the way.

Simba was lucky though, I found him clinging to life on a nearby dead tree and looking very distraught. I flew toward him and he saw me instantly.

"Zazu help me!" he cried.

"Your father is on the way, hold on!" I said, my only encouragement I could think of since timing was important in a situation like this.

"Hurry!" cried Simba before he was out of hearing.

Mufasa and Scar had just reached the ledge when I returned with the news; both were looking around worriedly and hoping nothing bad had happened during their absence, I of course flew straight over to them.

"There, on that tree!" I cried as I pointed to where Simba was still clinging for life.

"Hold on Simba!" Mufasa cried as he saw his son cling in fear.

Suddenly a wildebeest grazed by, causing the old tree to bend slightly, almost knocking Simba into the huge stampede. Mufasa wasted no time and quickly ran down to save him before the tree fell any further.

Scar and I watched from a ledge as he ran to Simba. I was terribly worried now and was starting to tremble.

"Oh Scar this is awful. What do we do! What do we do! I know I'll go back for help, that's what I will do, I'll go back for hel…….." I said.

I don't know what happened that caused me to not finish my sentence. I believe I must have been so in tuned to go off and find help that I ran full force into the side of the gorge, knocking me out and causing my world to go black.

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A/N: Perfect place to stop I must say. Does a Dr. Evil laugh. I hope you all liked this chapter. And just as a warning, once Scar ascends, the story is going to get a little dark and sad. So if you don't like that kind of stuff then its best to wait when Simba returns, I'm still thinking about how many chapters this part of Zazu's life will be but I know its at least five and I know I will not finish it all before I go to the internship at Disney which is in a month. More on that later. But any way please review and I will see you all hopefully on Monday and enjoy those Harry Potter books, I'm not getting mine until next weekend and I want to read it now. Well have a nice weekend. 


	18. Scar Ascends

Man it is so hot here, we broke a record already twice this week. Both days reached 97. I miss last year when it was in the 70s and only reached the 90s once. Well any way thanks time.

**Bounding Jackalope:** I don't know why but for some reason my Microsoft word says that Jackalope is spelled wrong, I wonder if it's in the dictionary, eh I'll check later to see what's up with that because I find that very strange. Any way thanks for the review and you will see what Zazu's life will be like, it will be interesting. Hope you like this chapter.

**Gryfffinrose: **How do you people do that with the Harry Potter books, I mean I love them but I feel that if I read them that fast I won't enjoy it chapter by chapter. Plus my eyes get strained easily when I read for a long time, don't know why either, my eyes are weird. And yes I am going for an internship at Disney but I will explain it more in a few weeks before I leave and stuff. Any way thanks for the review I hope you like this chapter.

**Nala5: **Glad you liked this chapter; you will see what happens to Amari in this chapter, it will be sad just to warn you. I'm also glad you are back online, isn't it annoying when the computer does stupid stuff. And don't worry about reviewing the other chapters you missed, if you read them that's fine with me. Any way hope you like this chapter.

**QueenKiara:** Yay someone new! I'm glad you have been enjoying this story. And I hope you continue reading it. Thanks for the review.

**SunRise19:** Yup because of my Disney Internship I won't be able to finish it, for at least five months any way. When I come back though I promise to continue, but I do hope to at least update once a month while I'm down there, if I get a laptop that might change though. Glad you liked this chapter. Hope you like this one and thanks for the review.

**Simba11: **That review was probably one of the funniest reviews I have ever gotten. I like that "The pure unadulterated PG-13 horror" very silly. Any way thanks for the review, hope you like this chapter.

**MorpheusDreamer:** Thanks for the review; yeah I thought it was a good idea for them to have one more talk before the storm hit. Hope you like this chapter.

**Skima:** Thanks for the review, glad you liked the little cliffy and I am glad you think this story is getting better and better even though I always feel nervous that something is missing or something like that. Hope you like this chapter.

Now time for the new chapter.

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I awoke many hours later to find that the gorge was turning dark and the sky was turning light pink to signal the end of the day. My head still had a slight ringing in it from running into the wall so I stood up slowly and rubbed it for a moment while also trying to get a bearing of my surroundings. While I tried to get rid of the blurriness in my eyes, I wondered why no one came back to get me, perhaps they did not know I had lost consciousness, but then Mufasa would probably wonder where I was. Perhaps Sarabi was congratulating him over saving Simba and kissing Simba until the little tyke had enough which was usually in about ten seconds.

I sighed and decided to look around the gorge to make sure everything was okay and to adjust my eyes a little more. As I scanned the gorge, I noticed that there were still a few puffs of dust hovering slowly back to earth and it was so eerily quiet that I did not feel very safe down there.

I was about to fly off and find Mufasa when something caught my eye over by the dead tree that Simba had held onto. It was broken now and something was under it, at first I thought it was a rock but I then noticed that it was too furry to be a rock and that it must have been a wildebeest who got injured in the stampede and died there after being hit by his or her fellow members so many times.

As I flew in closer though I found my assumptions to be totally wrong as I gazed in horror at the body of Mufasa. I could not believe it, it felt like a dream and I kept telling myself that he was only sleeping as I watched for his chest to slowly rise up and down but sadly it never did.

I still could not believe it though, he had to be unconscious, so I walked up to him and shook him lightly in the mane.

"Sire wake up, the pride is waiting for you to come home," I said.

Nothing, not even a growl responded from him, I was so terrified that I barely felt my tears run down my eyes now that I knew the pride had lost a great king. It made me wonder if Simba and Sarabi knew about this. But Simba had to of known, he was being saved by his father and it made me wonder where he was now. I only hoped he was safe by his mother's side crying away his sorrows with her because that was what I wanted to do that instant. I wished Kalifa or at least my mother was there to comfort me over the loss of a good friend I had shared many memories with.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Said a voice behind me suddenly.

I turned around and saw Sarabi running down toward us, tears running down her face and looking very distraught. She reached Mufasa and then began to shake him vigorously.

"Mufasa my love wake up, we need you back at Pride Rock, we know we can't go on without you," she said before burying her face into his mane and sobbing uncontrollably.

I rubbed Sarabi's paw lightly for a few minutes while she mourned for her loss. "It's okay Sarabi, I'm here for you," I said softly after a long silence.

"Thank you Zazu, Scar told me he and Simba were dead, I could not believe it so I had to find out for myself," said Sarabi as tears fell down he face like a water faucet.

"Wait, Simba is dead too, but I don't see his body any where," I said.

Sarabi gave a sudden look of worry that many mothers give when they can't find their child and began running around the gorge frantically looking for him.

"Simba, where are you, are you alright, please answer me," she said before finally collapsing and crying even harder than she had ever had. I could not bear to watch her suffer like this and looked up at the gorge realizing that it was getting really dark and was not a safe place once darkness truly engulfed the gorge.

That was when I saw two green eyes descend down the gorge and toward Sarabi, I was about to warn her until I realized it was only Scar who showed the same face he always showed, that blank stare.

"Sarabi, we must get back to Pride Rock, since the king is dead it is time for me to ascend and take his place, come with me and I will tell you everything that happened when I get there," he said.

Sarabi said nothing but simply got up and followed him back up the gorge. I joined them as they walked the lonely trip back home, and to tell everyone all about the terrible news.

As we headed back toward Pride Rock, I could hear Sarabi crying and sniffling beneath me, I knew this was going to be something that would take a long time for her to heal. I knew Scar could hear her crying too, but he did nothing and walked with his head held up high as if he had already proclaimed himself as king.

Once we got halfway toward Pride Rock, Sarabi suddenly stopped and stood still, it looked as if she wanted to make up her mind and go back to Mufasa's body. I flew down to her to make sure she was okay while Scar stood there watching her like she was some sort of outcast.

"Your majesty, are you alright?" I asked.

"I don't know Zazu, I just suddenly feel like going back to the gorge and seeing if Mufasa woke up and if Simba is trying to find me," she said trying to hold back tears.

"Simba is dead too, I saw how it happened, now do you want to hear the whole story back at Pride Rock or not because I am not repeating it if you stay out here," said Scar who then started walking away.

What Scar said angered me and for the first time in my life I yelled back at him. "How could you say that to someone you have known since you were a cub? Can't you even help her out and comfort her through her time of grief. I find that to be really selfish of you Scar," I said.

Scar wheeled around and ran toward me; luckily I flew in the air just in time before he could grab me. "Just so you know, I am in mourning too, and I bet the whole damn pride is in mourning as well. How can I comfort every pride member over this, they need to be strong like I am now, and what I am about to do will show how strong I am," said Scar who then turned around and stomped off.

Once he was farther away I fluttered back down to Sarabi who still hung her head low letting tears stream down her face.

"What a selfish bastard," she said through clenched teeth.

"I agree with you, but you must remain strong, you are still the queen and you must help the pride learn to live with Scar, I can already tell he's going to be difficult to handle," I said.

Sarabi gave a big sigh and stood up. "Your right Zazu, I do need to help everyone get through this difficult time, it's the queen's responsibility to do so" she said and started walking back toward Pride Rock while I flew over her.

We reached it a while later and every single lioness was out there waiting for their return even Nyarai who had actually given birth to a litter of three cubs five days ago and had left them unattended in the den.

I saw Nala sit between her mother Amari was hiding behind her, looking around for any sign of Simba but did not see him and looked up at Sarabi.

"Did you find Simba?" she asked.

Sarabi just shook her head and watched as Scar ascended a small rock and began to speak while I stood beside Sarabi comforting her through what was going to be told.

"What I am about to tell you is going to be told with a heavy heart since I know you all are wondering what will happen," said Scar.

All the lionesses nodded as Scar continued. "I was out with Simba earlier today and decided to show him the pride lands a little more. Well after a while we both got tired and decided to sleep under a nearby tree. I woke up a few hours later with Simba gone and I began to search frantically for him. I then found him a few minutes later wandering the gorge and roaring at a lizard. I noticed that a band of wildebeests were on the other side of the gorge and I knew they would be instantly startled by a big enough roar, even one by Simba. I was about to tell him to stop when he gave the biggest roar he could and suddenly the wildebeests started to stampede. Poor Simba did not have a choice and began to run before the wildebeests could catch up to him and I decided to go get Mufasa since he would probably know what to do. I found him easily and told him Simba was down there. Mufasa and I ran back and found him as he was desperately clinging for life on that old tree. Mufasa went down to get him and what I saw once he was down there terrified me. Mufasa jumped up and grabbed Simba in his jaws but a second later a wildebeest hit him hard in the side causing him to roar in agony and throw Simba out of his mouth. The force from the wildebeest was so strong that he was buried under the stampede and I never saw him come back up, same for Simba who must had been trampled on so hard that nothing remained of him. When the stampede ended, I saw Mufasa's body and decided to run and tell all of you what happened."

Scar finished his sentence and I looked around, all the lionesses were crying while the four cubs that were friends with Simba huddled against their mothers paws for comfort. Nala especially looked like her world had fallen apart. Poor Sarabi though, she acted as if her world was now totally gone and I was afraid she would have no life left in her in a few days or more.

"Mufasa's death was a terrible tragedy, but to loose Simba who had barely begun to live. For me it is a deep personal loss. So it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne," said Scar. And as he began telling everyone about him assuming the throne, we began to see dark shapes come toward us.

We all gasped in fear as we quickly realized that they were hyenas. We looked up at Scar as he began to ascend hoping he would stop the hyenas from coming toward us, but he did nothing and continued to talk.

"Yet out of the ashes of this tragedy we shall rise to greet the dawning of a new era, in which lion and hyena come together in a great and glorious future," Scar finished.

Once Scar finished his statement he made his ascent to the tip of Pride Rock while hundreds of hyenas came out of nowhere and began to circle us, laughing like it was some sort of game. Suddenly, Scar roared out toward the savanna letting the entire kingdom know that he was now king.

He roared for several minutes before he finally stopped and looked down at us, Sarabi pushed her way through the hyenas and ran toward Scar in anger.

"Why are you inviting the hyena's back into the pride lands, you know they have been banished from here since Mohatu's time because they ruin the earth and steal our food and since I am queen I still have to agree with whether or not this is right," said Sarabi with anger in her eyes. I could tell she was not liking this one bit.

"Ah but the rules have changed my fair queen, I am abolishing Mohatu's old rule and the idea of having the queen agree with me on what I can do or cannot do, those rules were really only guidelines any way," he said with a smile while three hyenas circled her and brought her back down Pride Rock.

"Why do you even want hyenas in this land, you know they eat all our food and will kill when they get a chance, why Scar?" asked Sarabi who was now tearing up again.

"Because I think hyenas aren't all that bad, they will make a perfect addition to the pride lands," said Scar who then began walking toward the cave.

"Oh and are you making us sleep outside with these hyena's now while you sleep in the cave?" asked Sarabi.

"No your highness, I am merely cleansing my new rule. Starting right now, all the male cubs of this pride are to be executed," said Scar with an evil grin.

"No!" I heard Nyarai cry. One of her newborn cubs was a male and was now desperately trying to get through the hyenas.

She never made it for a few seconds later; Scar came out carrying a cub in his jaws, not by the neck but had him clenched in his teeth. I could hear the cub crying as Scar showed no mercy and clenched down harder until his wails were heard no more. Then Scar did something truly and utterly vile, he threw the cub off the side of Pride Rock where a group of hyena's quickly grabbed him and ran off with him.

Nyarai watched them run off with her son and began to cry while some of the members comforted her.

Scar then began to stalk down the rock toward Sarafina where Amari was sitting and shaking between her paws. I watched as Scar got closer and began to smirk while Sarafina showed her pearly white teeth, something I had never seen before in her. Once he got closer, Sarafina struck with her claws but missed.

"Oh come now Sarafina, you are only loosing one, besides this ones a runt, he probably won't make it once he becomes older all alone out there in the open," said Scar with no sympathy whatsoever in his voice.

"How dare you call my son a runt, he's the son of a great prince and if you take him away from me, I'll plan to give you more scars on that ugly mug of yours," said Sarafina who tried to strike again while keeping Amari close.

Amari just held onto her tightly, I could see him shaking while Nala stood behind them, afraid to see what would become of her brother.

Scar stood there for a moment, seeming to ponder the situation until he finally stood up and turned around. "Fine then, I'll let him live for a while longer, but you better watch him for when your back is turned, he will be mine, and that goes for you too Chiku," said Scar who then gave Chiku a look of malice while she clutched Dume close.

Scar then ascended back up Pride Rock and walked toward the den. "It is time for us to retire, for tomorrow a new life will begin so you better be prepared," said Scar who then disappeared in the den.

I saw Sarabi look over at Sarafina and Chiku, both looked like they had no courage to go sleep in the den with that cub killer.

"Come we will sleep behind Pride Rock tonight, hopefully we will figure out a way to keep him from killing Dume and Amari," said Sarabi who showed courage in her voice. Something I liked despite her sadness in loosing Mufasa.

"If I may be obliged in doing so, I would like to stand outside and watch and warn you all if any danger appears for your cubs," I said.

"Thank you Zazu, that would be most helpful," said Sarabi who then led the two mothers toward the back of Pride Rock.

Once we reached the safe spot, I perched on a nearby tree and looked around. I quickly noticed that hyenas were everywhere and I hoped that I would watch for them well seeing as they would probably come from all sides.

"Zazu, if you see any of them come near just say your highness watch out and I will respond," said Sarabi who then disappeared in the den with the other two and the four cubs.

I listened to them for a minute and soon heard Sarabi cry again while Sarafina and Chiku tired to comfort her. I meanwhile stood watch and realized that it was going to be a long night for all of us.

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A/N: Oh man I hoped you all liked that chapter because I found it quite sad and dark but that's just me, and you all might find it different from what I think. So please review and I will hopefully see you all again on Friday. 


	19. Comforting Nala

Eh I can't think of any comments right now so I will just go ahead and thank everyone.

**Bounding Jackalope: **Thanks for the review and no, I will not kill off the main character, he will definitely live through Kiara's time and then retire later on. I don't even know why I killed him in Surviving the Stampede in the first place. I must have been in a weird mood that day. Hope you like this chapter.

**SunRise19: **Thanks for the review. But in truth, newly dominated male lions actually kill all cubs of both genders. And I just didn't want him to kill the females because I wanted to have a reason why Nala was still around, yeah for some reason I forgot to add that in my authors note, oh well. Any way hope you like this chapter.

**Nachonaco: **I don't know if you will be reading this again or not but I am wondering if you are a member of Toon Zone because I feel like I have seen your name before in that forum because I go there too. Any way glad you still reviewed and I understand if you don't like Zazu, a lot of people don't. Well see ya.

**Pichooi:** Man it seems like everyone is having problems with their computers right now, must be a virus going around. Any way thanks for the reviews and I hope you like this chapter. Also did I ever thank you for reviewing my "I'm Her Guardian" story, if not thank you. Huggles you

**Gryfffinrose:** All I can say is LOL! Thanks for the review, enjoy this chapter.

Okay sad chapter here we come

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**Be brave little one**

**Make a wish for each sad little tear**

**Hold your head up, though no one is near**

**Someone's waiting for you.**

**Don't cry little one**

**There'll be a smile where a frown used to be**

**You'll be part of the love that you see**

**Someone's waiting for you.**

Someone's Waiting For You: Song from The Rescuers.

Two days had passed since Scar began his reign and those two days were the worst I had ever known. Rafiki gave a funeral for Mufasa but Scar refused to bury him saying that he was not a true king and that he should be left for the ants to crawl on.

The day after Scar ascended was hard for Sarafina and Chiku who both tried to protect their sons. Poor Amari though, Sarafina was only bending over to get a drink when five hyenas snuck up from behind her and killed Amari. I learned that day that hyenas have no sympathy for the mourner and taunted Sarafina while a few other hyena members ripped Amari apart. It was the most horrible sight I had ever witnessed and poor Nala saw the whole thing as well.

Chiku lost Dume during the night, it was my fault mainly. I had accidentally dozed off because I had not slept since the morning before Mufasa's death. Sarabi pardoned me though and said that it would happen sooner or later.

Now that my watchful eye duties were over it was time for me to go back to being the advisor I had always been. Yet it did not seem as fun as it once was, now that the hyenas were the main problem of the land.

I remember Scar's second day as king like it were yesterday, mainly because of poor Nala but I will tell you more about that in a minute. I remember sitting on my usual tree waiting for Tafari to arrive, when he did, he had the look of anger on his face.

"Stupid hyena's, I killed two with my hooves today thinking they can eat me, yeah right," he said with a grumble.

"I apologize for that, as you know it was not my idea," I said.

"I know I don't understand why that new king thinks hyenas should be allowed to come back. I have noticed that they waste the food after they kill it. They don't go back for seconds, they go back for a different animal," said Tafari.

"I noticed that yesterday myself, they must be overwhelmed by all the food here," I said.

"I hope that is the case because if that does not stop I am leaving," said Tafari in a very serious tone.

"If you do please let me know beforehand, I don't want to be sitting here waiting for you all day and then realize that you left," I said.

I had actually grown quite fond of Tafari over the last few years and I hated to see our friendship go because of some hyenas.

"Don't worry I will inform you when I do," he said.

"Well other than hyenas anything else new?" I asked.

"Not a thing, no one seems happy now that Mufasa is gone," said Tafari.

I just nodded and then gave him a quick goodbye before flying off to scout the pride lands. Everywhere I turned their were hyenas mixed with wildebeests or zebras, the hyenas made the land look dark and gloomy next to the fact that a rainstorm was coming.

The rain came rather fast too and it sent me back to Pride Rock in a flash where I was met by Scar who was waiting for me.

"I would have expected you back with a report sooner," said Scar with a growl before stalking back into his cave. I joined him.

"I am sorry sir, but this is how long it usually takes just to scout the entire land," I said.

"Well next time do it faster, it is annoying waiting out in the rain for you," said Scar.

"Then wait in the cave, I would have known you would have been in here," I said.

I wish I would have never said that because a second later, Scar roared and tried to swipe me with his claws, but missed before giving me the evil stare.

"Don't ever tell me what to do, I am the king and I do what I want, not what I am told to do, now give me a report," said Scar.

"Well it seems that your hyenas are wasting the food they kill and then without going back for seconds they go back for something else. Most of the animals are annoyed by this because they know sooner or later they will deplete the Pride Lands of food, I think you need to talk to them about that Scar," I said with importance.

Scar stood there and thought for a moment before he finally answered me. "I will see to it later, as for now it is time for my nap, I've been up since before the sun rose, checking my territory for any rouges," he said before he slunk off into the shadows.

I shook my head, I knew he was probably going to do nothing and I knew it was best not to argue with him. It was then that I decided to go check on Sarabi to make sure she was alright, every time I was able to check on her, she was either crying or just sitting in a spot contemplating what to do with her life now. When I finally found her though, she seemed to be trying to comfort someone else, Sarafina.

"What's wrong?" I asked when I arrived at their side.

Sarafina took a long heavy sigh and then turned to me, tears in her eyes. "I can't find Nala and I fear that something awful has happened to her. I think those hyenas got her even though they were not supposed to," she said before burying her head in Sarabi's shoulder.

"When was the last time you saw her?" I asked.

"Just this morning getting a drink by the water hole, she said she was going to try and play with Penda for a while, but Penda says she has not seen her all day," said Sarafina.

"So you searched all over the pride lands?" I asked.

"No just around the area of Pride Rock where I have told her to stay by just in case a hyena does try to attack her and I can be there to protect her if it does happen. Oh I hope I did not loose Amari's gift," she said as she continued to cry.

I patted her shoulder with my wing, I felt terrible for her. She lost two Amari's to something horrible and now she felt like she had lost one of his gifts.

"If you want me to, I can go search for her and I will not return until I find her," I said.

"But Zazu, the rain is really coming down I don't think you could make it out there," said Sarabi.

"If I could survive a bad storm when I was a fledgling then I know I can handle this," I said and before they could even argue with me, I flew out to find Nala.

I flew quite a distance away from Pride Rock before I finally called out for her. Of course my voice was drowned out by thunder the first chance I was able to yell out her name. The second time was a success in calling her but it caused the hyenas to taunt me and say that they will find my precious Nala. If I was not searching I would have pecked out their eyes for being so cruel.

Finally after nearly an hour of searching and being fully drenched, I decided to go to Rafiki and ask for his help. I was glad to find him there; he seemed to be busy mixing something so I did not have to worry about waking him from his mediation.

"Good afternoon Rafiki, can you help me in finding someone?" I asked.

"And who might that someone be?" asked Rafiki who did not even look up from his mixing.

"I'm looking for Nala, she has gone missing and I was wondering if you have seen her or would like to help me scout out the area for her," I said.

"You need to look no further my blue friend, she is over in that corner of my tree, exhausted after two days of crying," said Rafiki.

I flew down to the flat part of his tree, and sure enough there was Nala, lying in a round ball while tears streamed down her face. Every so often, her stomach would bounce, showing that she was having some slight hiccups.

"I found her a few hours ago on a rock, crying her heart out, she has not said anything to me yet but has remained silent and has cried the whole time while I mixed this medicine for her," said Rafiki.

I nodded and stared at the poor cub, I felt terrible for her, loosing her best friend and brother in two days of each other. It made me wonder how she was even still managing it.

"Nala, your mother is worried about you, why don't we go home so she can know that you are alright," I said.

Nala gave a long sniff before replying. "I wish Simba was here, he always knew how to make things better," she said.

"I agree with you, Mufasa would be ashamed right now if he saw what his brother did already to this land," I said.

"I've had to deal with ten of them already, they keep taunting me and saying I was a fool, I of course gave them a nice hit on the head with my rotten mangos I have lying around," said Rafiki.

"I hate those hyenas; they killed my brother, right in front of me too. I can still hear his cries of pain and 'Nala, mother save me, their hurting me'" said Nala before she started with the heavy crying again.

"I just hope Scar changes his ways at the moment, this maybe his way at starting things with a tough feature and then become kinder later, at least I hope so any way," said Rafiki.

"I agree with you, this will definitely be an interesting time while he is king," I said.

"And just the night before, I made a vow with Simba, that I would become his queen once he became king, he was so brave that I realized that I loved him," Nala said suddenly while looking up at us with the most pitiful eyes I have ever seen.

I just smiled back at her while a small tear fell down my eye, I was not very good at comforting any one, but it was still good to be with someone when they needed a friend most of all.. But after what she said about her and Simba, I wanted to cry with her but it was best to remain strong.

"Here drink this medicine, it will keep you from getting more hiccups and headaches from crying too hard," said Rafiki who put a bowl down in front of her.

"What's the point, maybe my hiccups and headaches will become bad enough for me to join Simba, Amari, and Mufasa it's probably a lot better up there with them and the other great kings than down here," she said and turned the bowl away.

"But your mother needs you, think how lonely she would be if you were not there to cuddle with her since you are her only remaining offspring now," I said.

"Besides crying does not solve anything, it only makes things worse," Said Rafiki who then slid the bowl closer to Nala.

Nala stared down at the concoction while tears continued to stream down her face. Finally after a minute of silence, she began to drink it. She made no face as she did so and that probably meant it was not bitter like the one medicine I took when I first arrived here.

"Very good Nala, I am proud of you," said Rafiki who then took the bowl away from her and put it aside. Nala wiped her eyes and gave a big sniff.

"What if Scar stays mean like this forever and lets the hyenas do whatever they want?" asked Nala.

"Then we will try to find help, it's the best solution, about the same thing happened about six generations before Mufasa with an evil ruler named Harja. His brother had gone off to help out with a situation far to the west but never returned so Harja took his place for almost four years. The land was so depleted that by the time the brother returned after learning what happened, there were only four lionesses left. Hopefully that will not happen but if it does I will try to catch it early," said Rafiki.

"But this time the brother is not alive so what are we going to do about that?" asked Nala who was still sniffling.

"Then we will find a different lion, no doubt that a rouge would probably love to help in this situation," said Rafiki.

Nala just nodded and lay back down while she put her paw on her face, she didn't cry this time, but just sat there and contemplated.

"Now Nala you must be brave, time will soon heal all wounds and you can continue on and help the pride hunt and raise cubs," I said.

"Yeah raise Scar's cubs," said Nala with bitterness in her voice.

That's when I realized something I did not like, what if Scar found interest in her once she got older in fact how were all the other lionesses going to handle that, I knew almost all of them did not like him.

"But perhaps his children will not be like him, maybe they will grow up to be kind and maybe overthrow him," said Rafiki.

"Perhaps but we will find out eventually," I said.

Rafiki just nodded and looked outside, it was still dark but the rain had dissipated somewhat. I knew it was best to leave so Sarafina would not worry any more.

"Are you ready to go back Nala?" I asked.

"I guess so," said Nala quietly.

"Then follow me," I said.

Rafiki waved goodbye to us and watched us depart. As soon as we left the tree a hyena walked beside Nala and followed her at a distance.

"So your little boyfriend is gone I see, well I say good riddance, he was such a pest," he said.

I could hear Nala growl under her breath before looking angrily at the hyena. "Leave me alone, go bother someone lower than you and I bet that might take a while seeing how there is nothing lower than any of you guys," said Nala. I smiled at the way she handled that.

"Oh tough girl huh, well I must say that Simba would have probably had a hard time with you as queen seeing as how you want to boss me around, you probably would have bossed him around too and then he would have divorced you and then you would go crying to your mommy. Would you do that? Go cry to your mommy all boo hoo hoo," said the hyena.

That was the last straw for Nala and like lightning she roared and scratched the hyena in the nose. The hyenas gave a startled look before finally running off into some nearby bushes to nurse his injury

I looked down at Nala who gave me a small smile, I smiled back while she began walking back to pride rock with her tail held high. I realized then that Nala was probably going to be a tough lioness to handle once she was older.

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A/N: Gah that did not come out the way I wanted it to. I wanted to have a slightly more depressing mood but I see I failed in that and I am sorry it sucked, I just could not get the words out right for this chapter. Oh well please review any way and I also have a new deviantart account I have the link in my profile if you want to see it. It's mainly photography but that's still just as good as drawings. Any way see you all next week with a new chapter. 


	20. Hyena Problems

Well its chapter 20, possibly 20 more chapters to go, not sure though. Any way I just have to ask, what is everyone's favorite music group? My favorite is Matchbox Twenty, Rob Thomas is so hot and the songs are awesome. Any way thank time.

**SunRise19: **Thanks for the review. Yes Zira will be in this story she will show up in the next chapter too. And I will give the reason in a later chapter as to why she lives in the outlands. Also I'm hoping to get a lap top since its actually required at the Disney campus, TVs are too, not sure why they don't have them in the rooms already though, so I hope to update once a month when I am down there. Hope you like this chapter.

**My Dear Sulkeniepoo:** Thank you for nitpicking about the sight thing, I am so used to telling someone it's this site that writing site is second nature to me or something like that. But I'll nitpick you back by saying you spelled sad wrong which confused me and took me three reads to understand what you were saying. Well hope you like this chapter.

**Grubswiper:** Hey buddy thanks for the complement; see you in the Redwall area.

**Pichooi: **Thanks for the review. Glad you liked Nala's talk, thing. Hope you like this chapter.

**Bounding Jackalope:** Thanks for the review glad you liked it, hope you like this chapter.

**Gryfffinrose: **Glad you thought that chapter was good, hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Nala5:** Thanks for the review. And truthfully I forgot about Timon and Pumbaa for some reason guess I need to start thinking about adjustments for later on and stuff. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Nachonaco:** Now that is awesome that I have a fellow Toon Zoner reading my story. Thanks for the review, hope you still continue reading this and I will see you at toon zone.

**Skima:** Wow just in time before I updated again. Thanks for the review I am glad you liked it. Hope you like this chapter as well.

Now time for stories.

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Two weeks passed and nothing changed. Scar was still his stubborn self, the hyenas were being greedy and Nala was still depressed. I never saw a smile on Nala's face any more and it worried me and Sarafina who thought Nala would give up hope any minute, but the young girl stayed strong and was often seen playing with Penda even though the play time did not seem as fun to her any more.

Sarabi still had the same glow as she did before Mufasa died, yet it was less vibrant than before. She stayed willing enough to help the lionesses of the pride get through the difficult time but when Scar showed up, she never wanted to go near him, even though he wanted to know how the hunts went. Usually those hunts ended with killing of three types of animals because the hyenas would come and steal the food from them until Sarabi had to give them a lesson.

As for me, well I did not like the rule that Scar was under. There seemed to be an air of gloom throughout the pride lands and morning reports were just trivia to Scar who did not deal with any of the problems I discussed with him.

It was after one of these morning reports that I decided that I needed to be alone so I flew a few miles away from Pride Rock just to think and to wish that Mufasa was there to reprimand Scar for his evilness.

"Oh I bet you can see what is happening down here, too bad you cannot fix it," I said to the sky wondering if Mufasa could hear me up there since I heard Simba say that the great kings are up there watching over everyone.

"My dear brother, whomever are you talking to?" said a familiar voice behind me. I turned around to see Kalifa standing there and looking worried.

"Oh Kalifa I am glad to see you, how have you been?" I asked as I embraced her.

"I have been fine though sadly your grandfather joined our ancestors in the sky last week," said Kalifa who I could tell was nervous about telling me this.

The news of my grandfather's death hit me like I had found Mufasa's body; it was not a good thing for me to hear, seeing as how I had been having a bad time trying to adjust with the new king and everything. So before the first tear was down my cheek I grabbed Kalifa and began to sob on her shoulder.

"Oh my I did not realize you would take it that hard, is everything alright? And why are there hyenas in the valley?" she asked.

"I cannot believe I have lost two great mentors within a week of each other, my grandfather was my life and Mufasa was my greatest friend," I said through a tear soaked face.

"What Mufasa's dead! How did that happen?" asked Kalifa.

"It happened two weeks ago, he was trying to save Simba who got caught in a stampede, both of them were killed and now Scar is the ruler of this land, that's why you see all those hyenas," I said.

"That's terrible, Scar letting those hyenas live here now, I bet his ancestors are very mad now," said Kalifa.

"I bet they are too, they eat too much and waste too much, we are hoping Scar will change his ways but that has not happened yet," I said while I wiped some drool away from my nose. No I am not going to say boogers; I'm too sophisticated for that word.

"Well I'm sorry I had to bring you that sad news especially at a bad time as this, you really need to send some sparrows to tell me once in a while," said Kalifa.

"I had not thought about that, I'm just so worried about other things," I said.

"I understand, but how about I give you some good news. Our mother had a batch of two eggs with her new mate, they may hatch in about two weeks," said Kalifa.

"Well that is wonderful and I do hope your area thrives for a long time," I said.

Kalifa just nodded and looked behind me to see Sarabi walking slowly toward us. I knew I had to greet her so I flew down and perched on her shoulder.

"Good day Sarabi, how are you?" I asked.

"Very angry thank you, and I was wondering if you could join me into speaking with Tahir over at the western border, it seems as though some hyenas have been disturbing his land," said Sarabi in an angry voice.

"I do not mind and is it alright if Kalifa joins us?" I asked.

"Yes it is, then she will learn more about Scar's stupid rule," said Sarabi who continued to walk toward the east where Tahir and his pride lived.

I had met Tahir before, it was sometime before Simba was born, Mufasa had brought me with him to discuss overpopulation in his land and wanted to see if Mufasa agreed to take a few females off his paws. Mufasa did not mind either, he took three home with us and one of them was Nyarai who was very sad to leave and actually went missing for a few days afterward, we soon learned that she was pregnant after running off with a rogue for a few days.

I liked Tahir though, he was as simple lion a little younger than Mufasa, he had inherited his father's throne after his father was killed by human hunters wandering the area. Tahir had a light brown mane with a few flecks of gold in it and had a slender built, I could tell he enjoyed wandering his lands daily. He also had a kind voice which I liked and made Mufasa and I feel trusted around him.

Tahir's land was actually about a four hour walk away which all three of us did in silence and we actually did not arrive at the borders until late afternoon just before the sun went down.

The border was very recognizable; it was a small pattern of rocks that resembled a mini Pride Rock only this one had a rounder observation point and did not have a den. Their den was actually about a mile away in some eroded cliff.

When we arrived, we saw Tahir standing on the rock waiting for us with his queen and a few of his lionesses, he also had his advisor there, a snooty finch who the lions could easily swallow whole, I never liked him much because he acted like he knew all the rules of the pride he lived with and never seemed to have a smile on his face. He was the one who had told Scar about Tahir's problem.

Sarabi quickly approached the pride and sat at the edge of the base looking up at Tahir who whisked his tail once and began to speak.

"Good to see you Sarabi, you look well for someone who has lost your loved ones at such an inopportune time," said Tahir with kindness in his voice.

"I did not come to get comforted, what is it that Scar has done to your pride?" asked Sarabi. I could tell she did not want to be here since it was not her job.

"Well I was hoping to talk to Scar about this, is he arriving?" asked Tahir.

"No he would rather sulk in the cave all day than fix matters that are his problems, but if you will explain to me what is the matter then I can try to fix it myself or get him to fix it," said Sarabi.

I heard Tahir growl under his breath, I could tell he was not happy with this new king either. "Well I found ten hyenas prowling our land a few days ago and I thought we had agreed when he came here last to give me the news that he was now king that he would keep his hyenas under control, we do not trust them, they started looking at our cubs as if they were food," said Tahir.

"Are they still in your land now?" asked Sarabi.

"Not sure, we only saw them for one day but I do know they killed more than there fair share of food and left what they did not eat to rot," said Tahir.

"They are doing the same things in our land as well, I just don't understand what Scar sees in them, but I will try to deal with this matter with Scar and perhaps he will come to terms with me," said Sarabi.

"See that he does, and once you have found the solution, send your advisor over to me with the report," said Tahir who looked at me with trusting eyes.

I looked over at their advisor and he just sneered before rolling his eyes and hoping off the rock and down to the grass where he pecked the ground for seeds and acted like nothing was happening.

"I will do my best," said Sarabi who then bowed to Tahir and started to walk away. Tahir stopped her.

"Your highness, are you hungry at all, we would be happy if you joined us for a meal," he said.

"Thank you Tahir but I am tired and not very hungry at the moment, but I hope your pride continues to flourish and that Scar's rule will not hurt you in any way," said Sarabi.

I saw Tahir watch her go before slinking away from the border with some of his pride members. I looked over at Kalifa who seemed to have enjoyed that conversation.

"Wow that was very fascinating, seeing how your life is like now, looks like it keeps both of you busy," said Kalifa.

"Yes that's how life is if you're a king or queen," said Sarabi.

"What do you do all day any way?" I asked Kalifa since I had never really asked that before.

"Not much, usually it's just helping mom or chatting with other animals, nothing special, you know the pride that lives in our valley is very quiet, I rarely see them in the area where I mainly stay, they seem to keep to themselves mostly," said Kalifa.

"Any advisor that you have seen?" I asked.

"Truthfully yes, but he has not noticed me yet and he is quite attractive," said Kalifa.

"Oh it seems that my sister is interested in starting a relationship," I said with a teasing voice.

Kalifa just smiled and gave me a light slap on the head; it was one of her ways of showing how much she cared about me.

We did not noticed how dark it had gotten until we saw Sarabi slink behind a bush and disappear out of sight; we wondered what she was doing and flew down to her. Once we arrived, we found her lying down and looking up at the sky.

"Your highness shouldn't we be going back to the pride?" I asked.

"Not tonight Zazu, it's late and we will not be back until much later, we will return later tomorrow," she said.

"But won't Scar get mad?" I asked.

"I told him I would probably not be back until the next day, so don't worry about it," said Sarabi.

"But I have to do the morning report and I may not be able to now that we wont arrive until later that morning," I said worriedly.

"Don't worry about that Zazu, whatever you tell Scar will still be ignored like it always has been for the last two weeks, so calm down and enjoy the quiet night without any hyenas nearby," said Sarabi.

"I'm sorry Madame, I'm just so used to what I have been doing I feel like it needs to be done all the time," I said.

I noticed she was not listening but looking up at the sky. Her face gave the look of quiet serenity as if she was being scratched in the chin like humans do to their pet cats. She stayed that way for a quite a while until she broke the silence and spoke.

"I sense that Mufasa is watching me, he knows I am staying strong and keeping the pride intact. I bet he is also playing with Simba up there, my only son," she said before I saw a tear run down her cheek.

"So who first came up with the idea of kings being in the stars?" asked Kalifa.

"Nobody knows, it's just been handed down from generation to generation," said Sarabi who stayed quiet for the longest time and then pointed with her paw to one large star in particular. "You see that big star up there?"

Kalifa and I looked up to see the bright object; it truly was much larger than any of the others.

"Yes we do," I said.

"That star was formed after the great Mohatu died; he was a legendary king that many rulers respected. I knew him only for a short time but I must say that he was one of the wisest creatures I have ever met," said Sarabi.

"What did he do that made him so legendary?" I asked seeing as how Mufasa never really talked about his grandfather, his death must have been hard on him.

"He was the one who thought up the idea of having the hyenas live in the outlands after a horrible drought they caused that left many starving. It took months for the land to recover and the animals had to take a two day's journey just to get a drink of water. That's when Mohatu decided to move the pride lands to that area for the time being so the land could heal on its own. When it finally did, the animals returned and Mohatu established new rules, like the hyenas living in the outlands and the idea of not killing any cubs when a new successor takes over," Sarabi said.

"And Scar decided to change that I see, it makes me wonder why," said Kalifa who sounded very bitter now that she thought about what Scar did.

"I don't know, Scar never seemed to be right in the head, it must have been the way he was treated as the second born, we may never know," said Sarabi.

I sat there contemplating what Sarabi said, she was a very noble lion and I sensed she would be willing to sacrifice her life for the pride if any problem arose.

We spent the rest of the night, silently gazing at the sky and wondering what the future would hold.

* * *

**Important Authors Note Please Read**: There's chapter 20. Hope you all liked it. I am not sure when chapter 21 will come up because this Friday I am getting my wisdom teeth removed. I don't know how long I will be in pain for but I do hope to be back by next Wednesday. Also has any one else had their wisdom teeth removed and what did it feel like, I'm really nervous about it because I don't like going under and then having to deal with the pain afterward. Well please review and I hope to see you all soon. 


	21. Zira

Okay before I start this story I have a long authors note to give you so please read this and do not ignore because it is very important.

First my wisdom teeth removal went very well. I first went in crying and wanting to leave but then a few seconds later I got some IV into me that put me to sleep instantly and I felt that I had awoke a few seconds later. The pain was not bad, since they gave me enough vicoden to deal with it and let me say that I do not like that stuff, your body feels like jelly and you have trouble moving, it is so annoying. So all weekend I was too tired to write but now I am more alert and ready to give you all a new chapter and you all probably say. Thank God.

Another thing I must tell you all is that starting on the 17th I will be leaving for Florida. I got accepted into the Disney Internship at Walt Disney World where I will be for five months. I start on August 22nd and go until January 3rd. I do hope however to write at least one chapter a month so you all won't have to wait for so long. So this and the next chapter after this one will be the last before I leave. Oh and just in case you are wondering, I will be a quick service food and beverage employee, where exactly I don't know but I will tell you all when I update after moving in there.

Well now its time to thank my reviewers.

**Bounding Jackalope:** Thanks for the review and sadly because I have never seen the Lion King on Broadway or heard the song I will not be putting in the Madness of King Scar on so I apologize for that. Hope you like this chapter though.

**SunRise19:** Glad you liked the chapter and thanks for the suggestions about wisdom teeth removal, ice cream really does help, though not the kind from Dairy Queen, since it's a blizzard and they like to put stuff in it. Hope you like this chapter.

**Pichooi:** Glad you liked that chapter and thanks for wishing me luck with my wisdom teeth, I am so glad it's over. Well hope you like this chapter.

**Nachonaco:** Yes Zazu's mom is still alive though I am definitely not going to do that to her, I don't think we will ever see her again either, his sister will keep us up to date though. Thanks for the review.

**Space Spy:** Yay someone new, thanks for putting me on your favorites and I am glad you like this story, hope to hear more from you soon. Thanks for the review.

**Gryfffinrose:** Glad you liked the chapter, hope you like this one.

**MorpheusDreamer: **Thank you for the kind comments and I am so glad you are back. I'm glad you think my writing is improving. Well hope you like this chapter.

Now we finally begin the chapter.

* * *

A year had passed since Mufasa's death and the pridelands began looking like a barren wasteland. The trees were slowly dying, the river was lower than normal, and many animals were beginning to move away to greener pastures. Tafari still stayed with me though, yet at times I could tell that he was longing to leave before it got any worse.

After that talk with Tahir the year before, we had told Scar about the problem and he actually went out and talked to the hyenas about it though the problem still stayed because their advisor finch came back a week later with more news about more hyenas. Again Sarabi was forced to go and talk to them and this time, Sarabi told them to just kill the hyenas if they invaded but if Scar complained they had to say it was their idea since Sarabi did not want to get into trouble.

But because of how the hyenas began ruining the land, they caused Tahir's pride to move farther away and soon I was the only one going out to talk to them since flying was faster than walking. I would only be gone for a few hours but Scar treated me like I had been gone for days and wanted to know any thing that was happening in the pride lands the instant I returned.

Nala had grown into a beautiful lioness, her fur gleamed in the sunshine and her eyes always looked sparkling though I could tell that she longed for Simba as she stared out into the pride lands wondering if he would ever return from the dead.

Now that Nala was older though, it was time for her to start hunting with the other lionesses of the pride. I remember that day well because Nala had asked me to join and watch her first hunt. I was of course nervous about seeing another animal slaughtered by the lions but Nala and I were friends and I did not want to let her down.

I followed the lionesses as they began their hunt, searching through the small herds that were left to find the choicest meal. Many of the animals were in a sorry state so it was hard to find the best one for every body but that was when Sarabi found the right one they were looking for.

"Okay do you all see that zebra herd in the distance," she asked the group.

They all nodded wondering which zebra Sarabi had found to be the perfect one to kill.

"There's one in the middle that has a slight limp, we are gonna go for that one, you all know what to do and where to go, Nala you take the flank, it will be easiest for your first time beginner skills," said Sarabi.

I saw Nala nod to her and then Sarabi was off. The herd saw her running and then the rest of the pride close behind and they started to run, including the one that had a small limp, though that one I could tell was having trouble and I knew they would do well to catch it.

I then saw Sarabi jump up at the zebra, trying to bite it in the neck but the zebra bucked causing Sarafina who was behind her to back away before being hit by the powerful hooves. But she did not stop long and quickly ran back toward the zebra where she jumped up and bit down on its side. The Zebra whinnied in pain as Sarabi arrived and bit down on the neck. I saw Nala jump up and bite down on the flank and hold on. I could tell she was not going to give up on her first hunt.

I watched as Nala held on for about ten minutes, the zebra kept kicking and whinnying for each of the lionesses to get off it but the pride had it out numbered.

But suddenly, something went wrong, Nala was having trouble hanging on and a second later I saw her fly through the air and land heavily on the grass. The other lionesses saw her fall but had to hold onto the Zebra. I was glad I came to watch the hunt or Nala would have been left lying there for a while. I flew down to check on her.

When I got there, Nala was trying to stand but was a little wobbly. At first I thought she was bleeding on her paw until I realized that it was from the zebra since she already had a bloody mustache on her face.

"Nala are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just slipped, I had him though, I'm not used to so much blood either, it's hard to hold on with that slippery stuff," she said.

Before I could say anything Sarafina and the rest of the pride came running over to her looking worried.

"Oh Nala are you okay, you did not break anything did you?" asked Sarafina.

"No Mom I'm fine, I just slipped that's all," said Nala.

"Thank goodness, you did very well on your first hunt though, looks like you will be a fine huntress," said Sarabi.

"Thank you," said Nala who bowed to Sarabi and then looked over at the kill. But something was not right, there was another lioness there eating the zebra and she was not supposed to. Nala growled while Sarabi ran over and swiped the lioness in the face.

"How many times must I tell someone to wait their turn," said Sarabi angrily.

The lioness looked up at her and that was when we noticed that we had never seen this lioness before. She was a skinny lion with a long stripe going down her back, her face was long and full of hate, I could tell that she would fight with any one who intervened.

"Well you did leave this zebra so now its mine," she said as she chomped down on it and began eating with the look of hate on her face.

"We only left it to help Nala here, now either get up and leave or let us join you in the feast," said Sarabi.

"No, I have not eaten in days and I say that this zebra is now rightfully mine," the lioness growled as she showed her yellowed teeth.

"But we have not eaten in days either, they hyenas keep eating our food and this is my first kill," said Nala who was now looking devastated.

"Oh boo hoo hoo, listen you little brat, life is hard so get used to it and find your own damn food," said the lioness.

"If you don't leave I will send for the king and then he will decide what to do with you," said Sarabi who I knew was bluffing because Scar would probably just ignore our problem.

"The king eh, well where is he then, I bet he is weaker than you all," said the lioness.

"We'll just see about that once he is through with you, Zazu go get Scar," said Sarabi.

I looked down at her startled; I guess she was not bluffing. "But Madame isn't Scar busy at the moment?" I asked. He was most likely sleeping but he always said he was busy when he was doing that.

"I don't care, just get him Zazu," said Sarabi.

I did not argue again and flew as fast as I could back to Pride Rock. Luckily Scar was awake and having quality time with some bones that littered the floor, he truly made the cave a mess.

"Excuse me sire?" I said nervously.

"What is it Zazu?" asked Scar who acted all annoyed now that he was disturbed from his new friends.

"There is a stranger in the pride lands and she is eating our dinner, Sarabi said you should come and chase her out," I said.

Scar looked down at his bones for a moment before finally looking back up at me. He then growled and stood up.

"Well since I have been doing nothing else today, why don't you take me to him since it sounds like a rogue wanting to take over my kingdom," said Scar who obviously did not hear that I had said it was a her.

"Actually sire its female and she was very rude," I said.

"Then why won't the lionesses deal with her?" asked Scar who now looked like he was heading back to the cave.

"Because she won't leave," I said.

Scar just sighed. "Do I have to do everything around here?" he asked as he began his decent down Pride Rock. I was glad he was actually doing something but I could tell that he still felt it was the lioness's job.

We arrived a few minutes later to find that Sarabi and the lioness were now getting into a fight leaving both of them quite bloody and upset at each other. Scar ran over and roared as he stepped between them and growled.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"This lioness stole our food while we were helping Nala here and now she will not give it back to us," said Sarabi.

Scar looked at the lioness and stood there for the longest time looking at her. At first we all wondered if he was staring her down to get rid of her until we noticed that he was smiling. The lioness just glared at him while Scar began to circle and study her. We then sensed that Scar was showing a liking to her.

"Tell me what is your name?" asked Scar.

"It's Zira, now either kill me or chase me off I can see that you want to," said the lioness with a growl.

Scar just smiled, I could tell he liked her attitude mainly because she acted just like him when he was mad.

"Actually you don't need to leave, how would you like it if you joined our pride?" asked Scar.

"No you can't do that, we have enough starving mouths here as it is, we cannot afford another one," said Sarabi who jumped in.

"Hold your tongue," said Scar as he swiped at her but Sarabi moved out of the way before any harm was done.

"I would not mind joining your pride, in fact I have been looking for one for a long time, I was kicked out for trying to take over the queens job," said Zira.

"Ah then your in luck because you see I have actually been looking for a queen to help me rule this kingdom," said Scar.

I saw Sarabi turn a slightly different color as she jumped in front of the two and looked at Scar with even more anger than before.

"But I am the queen, I have been helping you rule this kingdom for the past year, your lucky it hasn't sunk to the ground without me here to keep it in check still," said Sarabi.

"Oh Sarabi you don't have to worry about that stuff any more, Zira will be my queen if she wants and you can just lie around and not worry about any thing," said Scar who then looked at Zira. Zira gave him a wicked smile before finally answering him.

"Well it does seem that this Sarabi does not want me here, I will leave and find my own place," said Zira who made a mock pouty face and started slinking off.

Scar just ran to her. "No it's alright, I have made my decision, you are to be my queen while Sarabi remains but the hunting leader, does that sound alright?" asked Scar.

Zira smirked at him before brushing up against him and looking at Sarabi with a proud look. Sarabi just stared; I could tell she was not liking the newcomer one bit.

"It sounds wonderful," Zira finally said.

"Good then join me into my den, we need to get to know each other," said Scar as he walked off with her while the other lionesses just stood there and watched them go.

Sarabi growled under her breath and walked over to the kill where she started to rip it apart. Sarafina ran over to her.

Sarabi are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine, just getting rid of all the anger in my system at the moment," she said.

"I cannot believe he let her join the pride like that and you are right about one thing, there are too many mouths to feed at the moment, having one more will surely cause trouble here," I said.

"I just wish Mufasa was still here, he would probably find a better place for us, just like Mohatu did," said Sarabi with a sigh.

"Maybe a savior will come one day and help us, he will get rid of all these hyenas once and for all and maybe he will even overtake Scar," said Nala.

"Maybe someday Nala, maybe someday," said Sarabi.

I watched as they all began their walk back to pride rock and to know more about this new queen of the pride lands.

* * *

A/N: Well there's chapter 21, hope you all thought it was okay, I'm not very proud of it myself. I'm sorry if Scar got too into Zira so quickly but that was the only way I could figure out how to do that. Also in about two chapters from now you will find out why Zazu is sentenced to live in that cage, it's not a pretty reason either. Well the one more chapter before I leave will hopefully be up by Monday so please review and have a great weekend. 


	22. Departures

Alrighty then, here is the last chapter for you all before I leave for the Disney Internship. Like I said in the last chapter, I hope to update again sometime in September and if that does not happen I apologize in advance. Now time to thank my reviewers.

**Bounding Jackalope:** Yup Zira is now here though I don't think I am having her do much until Simba gets back which will then have a good explanation as to why she was banished. Thanks for the review, hope you like this chapter.

**SunRise19: **I hope we get to that chapter soon, its only two chapters away though I am wondering what month that will be updated in. Thank God for my lap top though. Hope you like this chapter.

**Gryfffinrose:** Heh I can tell you like Zira, you'll see more of her though in later chapters, Scar's mostly ruling now. Also I was wondering what happened to Sasha, I hope you did not ditch her. Well any way hope you like this chapter.

**Nala5: **That whole thing with Scar falling in love with Nala is something I am not into so don't worry about him doing anything to her. Any way thanks for the review and I hope you like this chapter.

**Lordwindwalker:** Sure I would like the link but I probably won't join until next year when I get back from Florida. I am also sorry about what happened at the long patrol forums but if I were you, you should have just ignored everyone's rude remarks and moved on. I got mad at Bladeswift once for acting like I was ignorant but I did not get too annoyed by it since it will be forgotten eventually. Any way thanks for the review and hope you like this chapter.

**Pichooi:** Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked it; I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

**MorpheusDreamer: **Thanks for the review glad you liked how I introduced Zira and don't worry I understood what you meant about my early chapters. And truthfully as I continue on with it, I feel that I have a connection that helps me get slightly better at it. Yeah it's kinda weird if you think about it. And was I right about Imani being Kovu's father in your last chapter or was I reading that wrong, I got confused after reading everyone else's reviewers. Hope you like this chapter.

**Space Spy:** That's okay that it took you a while to review, I always welcome new reviewers since some have a different thought about the story than others. I'm glad you liked this chapter and you may have to stay on the edge of your seat for a while to get that part where Zazu lives in the cage since I will be quite busy soon. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Now time for chapter 22.

* * *

Ever since Zira arrived the pride lands seemed to get worse. The rainy season failed to arrive and the dry season came with very little relief. The air now felt like a toaster and after the long hunts that the lionesses took, they would often return empty pawed and exhausted while Scar yelled at them for not working hard enough.

What bothered most of the lionesses the most was that Zira never helped them on a hunt, she usually stayed behind with Scar where they both pampered each other and acted like the pride lands were in the best shape ever. I knew that one of these days they would have a cub, how it would fair in this horrible place would be an interesting concept.

Most of the cubs that were born in the pride now would either come out stillborn, miscarriaged or unhealthy and those would not live for more than a weak either. Most of them were Scar's cubs too, born from a lioness who had enough guts to actually mate with him. Scar would show how proud he was to be a father when that lioness was giving birth, but once he saw how it was dead or scrawny looking, he immediately turned away and acted like it was none of his business.

The hyenas seemed to have multiplied well though; I began to see more cubs that grew into adults who stole most of the lioness's dinner. They would often get into arguments over food while others watched and cheered their friends on and if one of the hyenas was killed in the fight, the hyenas would then set upon him and eat him.

It was a truly vile sight one minute there was a hyena the next minute there was nothing but bones. Even the dying lion cubs had no rest. I remember seeing one cub who had just been born a few days before. I was sitting in my tree alone when Nadira walked up with the tiny and skinny cub in her mouth.

"Zazu how many days is it to Tahir's pride?" she asked sadly while the poor cub continued to mewl helplessly at her feet.

"Last time I checked it was four days, I think he may have moved farther now," I said.

Nadira put her head down and sadness and looked at her pitiful cub which she did not even name, knowing it would die sooner or later.

"I wanted to give her to a lioness in that pride, I hoped that she could raise it better than I could, I am out of milk already and I know she cannot make it another day without nourishment," she said.

"Madame if I could carry her I would take her for you since it is much faster by air, but I know she is too big for my small claws," I said.

"I understand that also," said Nadira who then sat there and contemplated, that is until five hyenas showed up, one of them was Shenzi.

"Hey there girl, I hear you have a cub you want to take off your paws," said Shenzi.

Nadira growled as she held the cub close while the hyenas began to laugh.

"There is no way I am giving you my cub, I decide who gets to keep her," said Nadira.

"But look at that thing, I bet it won't survive another minute so what's the point of trying to protect it," said another hyena.

"Because I still love her, until she dies I am not leaving her," said Nadira while she growled at Shenzi who was uncomfortably close to her.

Suddenly one hyena attacked Nadira from behind, causing her to turn around and strike the hyena with her claws while Shenzi grabbed the crying cub. Nadira immediately forgot about the hyena that attacked her and ran after Shenzi.

Nadira jumped on Shenzi and caused her to drop the cub which was instantly grabbed by another hyena. Nadira ran after the other hyena and this time sank her teeth deep into the hyena's throat once she caught up with it. The hyena attacked back and so did two others while another one ran off with the cub.

Nadira roared with rage and shook the hyena that she sank her teeth into as hard as she could. I could hear the beast whimper for a minute and then become quiet. But Nadira did not care; she continued to shake him violently while the rest of the pack attacked her. It was truly a horrific sight and I could tell that Nadira was loosing.

She tried to make a run for it but was soon attacked by more hyenas that came to watch and had now decided to help. She was quickly buried under a mountain of those horrible vermin and I knew there was no way out for her. I wanted to help her but I knew there was nothing I could do. I thought about flying off to get Sarabi so she could help but that was after I heard Shenzi call to the hyenas that were in the pile.

"Alright you all get off her, I think she's had enough, let her die a slow death and then we can come back for her carcass later," she said with a laugh.

The hyenas all cleared and began to laugh as they walked away. Once they were far enough away, I flew down to check on Nadira and see if she was alright to even make it back to Pride Rock.

I discovered at once that it would be impossible, already a pool of blood formed around her, her side was ripped apart and one of her legs was badly mangled, and both her eyes were half shut, I knew she did not have much time.

"Nadira?" I said as I got closer.

Nadira remained motionless and silent for a moment and then suddenly spoke. "My cub, where is she, where is my cub?" she asked in a most frightening tone.

"I'm afraid the hyenas took her, she is long gone now," I said.

Nadira took a deep breath and sighed. "I knew Mufasa should have let Kamau stay longer, then he would have fought Scar for leadership of the pride and won too," she said with hope in her voice.

"Oh but I know he is ruling a wonderful place now, full of green and animals of every color. He was ready to leave, he wanted his own life," I said as I patted her paw that had the least amount of blood on it.

"Yeah I bet my cub is there now, in a wonderful green pasture, with food aplenty and she is not skinny and she has a name too," said Nadira before giving a heavy cough that brought a large amount of blood out of her mouth.

"And what name would that be?" I asked.

"Aisha," said Nadira with a small smile.

I smiled back, it was a good name for her, it meant "she is life" which was something her mother hoped for her now that she was gone. We were both silent for a moment as I watched her chest rise up and down slowly, she tried to move her paws a few times, but each of those times brought pain and crying.

"You know I would really like to join Aisha in that beautiful pasture, I bet she would like to have her mother there with her," Nadira finally said.

"Oh Nadira, I'm am so sorry your life had to end this way," I said sadly, tears were now running down my face because I knew she died trying to save the one she loved.

"It's okay Zazu, some are born to live to be old and wise while some live to do something right, just like I did trying to protect my cub," said Nadira as her voice slowly turned into a whisper.

"I bet Aisha is proud of you too," I said.

Nadira gave me one last weak smile before finally closing her eyes for the last time; I knew her spirit was now in a beautiful place full of happiness and no suffering. I stood there for a moment wishing that her body would just decompose in peace but I sensed the hyenas were watching ready to finish what was left of her. Finally I took to the air and flew back to Pride Rock and to deliver that sad news to Scar.

The news of Nadira and her cub's death saddened everyone in the pride. They remembered her as a kind hearted lion that was strict but loving with her cubs. I knew it would be hard for the pride to forget her since she told great jokes and helped other lionesses with their problems when Sarabi was not around.

Sarabi decided to go pay her respects to her but by the time we arrived to do so, all that remained was a small red stain where she had fallen, a victim to hungry hyenas.

But life had to go on and I had to do my usual job which was to talk to Tafari who was still amazingly alive even though so many hungry carnivores were after him.

I met him in the usual spot two days after Nadira's death, though now the water hole was nothing but a dried up mud puddle where a few bones were scattered from dying creatures that needed a drink. I waited for quite a long time for Tafari to show up and at first I thought he had left or died without me knowing, that was until I saw his skinny figure emerge from a small tree a few feet away.

I watched him as he got closer, his eyes looked sunken and his ribs were showing, I could tell he was having the same problems as the pride was having.

"Hello Tafari," I said quietly to him.

Tafari was silent for a moment before he finally spoke. "I'm leaving," he said.

It came as no surprise to me; I could sense he wanted to find a new home where food was lush and plentiful and where he did not have to worry about hungry hyenas.

"Be careful then, I wish you the best of luck," I told him.

"Thank you, I will always remember you, don't worry about that. I've found out more stories working for you than I have ever wanted to, but that was what made my life enjoyable," said Tafari.

"Where will you go any way?" I asked.

"To the north, some finches told me that there is an oasis two weeks away, with lovely greens and a beautiful waterfall. They say no predator lives there and it is quite safe," said Tafari.

"Sounds wonderful, I would go with you, but my place is here," I said.

Tafari gave me the look of sadness in his eyes, like I was making a stupid choice since life here now seemed unbearable.

"You actually want to stay here even though everything of beauty is gone and that Scar is just a useless king?" he asked.

"But I have friends here, so many memories as well, my home is here and I intend to stay until I cannot take it any more," I said.

Tafari gave a sigh of sadness and bent his head down to eye level with me. "I see you don't like taking risks, they are what make you strong, they are what keep you from feeling lost and not knowing what your next strategy should be," said Tafari.

I looked back into his large brown eyes that were shaded by large eyelashes something I never really mentioned about and had given him a very tired look, especially at that moment.

"I do like taking risks, but the thought of leaving the place I have lived with most of my life is too much to bear, I saw cubs begin their life here and grow up, I have seen death in the eyes of an old lion and in my best friend, I like to keep my memories where they are, plus I like my job," I said.

Tafari sighed and shook his head, he knew I was being stubborn and there was no way that could change me. "So you like snooping in others private conversations where the slightest rumor could send a flood of anger and regret," he said.

I knew he was right and I had no other way to retaliate with his argument. I had been snooping in others private affairs but it was only to give the king information on what was happening in the savanna, not to give anyone misery, though I seemed to have given that to others too. All of a sudden I felt like a horrible parasite that clutched to his host and would not let go. I thought all about the times I had told Mufasa about the wildebeests taking over the waterhole so none of the buffalo could get cool, or the times I got the cheetahs in trouble because I had accused them of playing a game in a zebra herd and caused the zebras to stampede, I still don't know who started that.

"I'm sorry Tafari," I said in a very sad voice that caused tears to fall down my face.

"So will you join me and get away from the life of a snooper?" he asked.

I shook my head. "My place is still here, I'm sorry Tafari but maybe one day I will take a vacation and find you again, or if it gets worse I will find you, so I must say goodbye to you for now," I said.

Tafari just nodded and walked off but then turned around to say something. "Just so you know, I have lived here my whole life as well, it's a hard decision to make leaving this place but it's for the better, since I am getting old and the condition that this land is in, I doubt that I will ever return," he said.

Then with the flick of his tail, the lone giraffe began his exit out of the pride lands, I hoped he would have a better life without any misery. I watched him go through the brown savanna until he was nothing but a long line in the distance. Once he was out of sight, I began my search for food, something that was beginning to get more time consuming and harder as the year went on. The entire time I hunted, I thought about Tafari and his thoughts about leaving and I kept wondering if that would ever happen to me.

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A/N: Well there's a nice way of ending a chapter before I go to Disney World. I hope you all enjoyed that and thought it was okay because I had some trouble with the last few lines of dialogue and stuff. I hope you all review and I will see you all again someday soon with a brand new chapter that will hopefully be very intense. Well see you all later. 


	23. Searching for Help

A/N: Hey guys thought I should update before I get really busy with work and stuff which I start tomorrow. And because from the email I got concerning the fact that we are not allowed to answer my reviews, I decided to play it safe and respond by saying thank you to everyone for the nice reviews, I was surprised that you guys found that chapter to be so sad. Also Simba11 that was the craziest email I have ever received, you should stop having all that sugar. Just kidding, well on with the story.

* * *

Ever since Nadira's death and Tafari leaving, I realized that Scar was misusing his role as king. He seemed to only care that he was at the top of the hierarchy and that he could boss others around, he did not care if a lioness was dieing or if the hyenas were eating more than their fair share. What was even worse was that he refused to leave the pride lands even though the land was in terrible shape and the only way it could be saved was by leaving for a little while to replenish itself.

Food was getting harder to find for both lioness and I, my favorite berries all but disappeared and now all I could find for sustenance was termites or a few ants. Something that gets boring to eat after a while. Often I would have to dig for water but where water once was, there was nothing but bones from the animals who had made their last journey in search of it.

I remember one morning while I was resting my wings in my small home in the tree when I heard a commotion outside and quickly popped out to see what it was. There I saw Sarabi being escorted by three lionesses who were from our pride. I had no idea what was happening and why they were doing it but they immediately walked up to Zira who was sitting outside of the cave watching them.

"Your majesty, we overheard Sarabi conspiring against your mate," said one of the lionesses.

Zira gave a cruel and wicked smile. "Well it looks like Sarabi has not found out that I have spies," she said while she circled Sarabi who remained calm but firm. "Take her to Scar and have him deal with her."

The lionesses then shoved Sarabi toward the cave, I decided to quietly fly down and see what was going to happen and hid behind a rock to listen to the conversation.

"So you were thinking of overthrowing me eh, I'm glad I have a few that have joined Zira, we need a few that can be loyal to the queen. But that's not much of a concern now after what these three have told me what you did," said Scar who was circling Sarabi.

"You are not a king Scar, you leave this land to waste and still call it a kingdom, I don't see why you still think this place is perfect for you," said Sarabi who obviously was not denying her idea of overthrowing him.

"Because it is my kingdom and a king's kingdom is always perfect to him," he said.

"So you decided to destroy Mufasa's kingdom and make a land perfect for you and that black heart of yours," spat Sarabi.

Suddenly without warning, Scar gave a defining roar that threw Sarabi off guard. Before she could even move, he was on her, beating her with his claws until Sarabi cried out for mercy which he did when she lay on the ground clearly defeated.

"I have told you never to mention my brother's name; he was a fool and was a disgrace to our family, just like you are. You are lucky too, next time I hear of you conspiring against me, you will be killed, is that understood?" asked Scar. I could see the hate in his eyes while he stood above Sarabi. He had made it a law to never mention Mufasa's name because of how often the lionesses talked about how great he was. I knew Scar was jealous of his brother because of that. Sarabi, meanwhile, looked back up at him with a wounded heart; her eyes showed pain and her face now looked older than it had ever been. I could tell that the pain of loosing Mufasa and Simba had aged her and she now seemed to have lost all hope.

Sarabi then nodded silently while Scar let her back up. Sarabi slowly rose from the floor but not without some difficulty, everyone just watched and did not bother to help her. Finally she stood upright and slowly and painfully she left the cave with tears in her eyes. I did not see her for another two days after the incident.

I remember that second day well, I had been sent by the lionesses to go find her since they were very worried after I had told them all what had happened. Sarafina had searched for her the day before but found no sign of her. I dreaded the fact that she might have killed herself just so she could live happily again with her dead mate.

While I was looking for her though, I saw a familiar face fly toward me and could not help but smile, it was Kalifa, someone who could help me and maybe talk about problems.

I decided to sit on a nearby branch and let her come and talk to me, which she quickly did.

"Hello Zazu, I am glad you are still alive even though your land is not," she said sadly.

I just nodded while she revealed to me a green leaf, something I had not seen in months, it made me gasp in shock as if I had never seen one before.

"I knew the land was still not well so I decided to bring you a treat," she said as she handed it to me.

I opened it to reveal four large and juicy berries obviously from home. My eyes brightened at the sight of them and instantly put one in my mouth, it felt so refreshing while I closed my eyes and ate it, it made me forget at that instant that the land I was living in was a deplorable state and that life was hard.

I opened my eyes again and saw that nothing had changed from my happiness and frowned. "Too bad these cannot help the land become green again," I said.

"I know, but at least it made you happy for a few seconds," she said.

"Yes I have not felt that in I don't know how long," I said.

"Speaking of happiness, how is Sarabi doing," Kalifa asked. She had seen Sarabi cry before and knew that Sarabi always looked miserable.

I sighed and looked sadly at her. "I don't know I have not seen her in two days, she was beaten by Scar after he found out she was plotting against her," I said.

Kalifa gasped in shock. "Oh no, we must go find her then, she could be injured and Rafiki can probably help her," she said.

"We should split up then, you go one way and I go another, it will be easier to find her," I said.

Kalifa nodded and instantly flew away; I headed toward the other direction back toward my tree to drop off my remaining berries so I could save them for later.

I decided to search behind Pride Rock and make sure she had not hidden herself in one of the many caves that the rock offered, or course all of them were empty and I knew she had to be out in the pride lands somewhere, but where could she be? The land was so desolate you could spot a lost butterfly.

I did not have to search for long though for a few minutes later, Kalifa returned with a small smile on her face.

"I found her, she's down at the gorge," she said.

I said nothing but instantly followed her, it did not take me long to find out where she had been headed for, the last resting place of her husband. Once I reached the gorge I found her next to a rock in the shady part looking sadly at what remained of Mufasa, a few bones including his skull.

We both flew down to her and landed right in front of her; she did not look up startled but stayed still while tears fell down her face. I looked at her, I could tell Scar had done quite a number on her; her left eye was swollen to a black and blue. Her right shoulder was badly torn and still bleeding slightly, there were also a few cuts lining across her body revealing Scar's anger, nothing was life threatening which was a good thing.

"Sarabi, are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine Zazu, I just came here to think, no one around to bother or question you about what you are doing," she said in a soft voice. There was no anger to it, just tiredness from the stress of living with Scar.

"If I may ask, how did they find out about you conspiring against him any way?" I asked

"I was telling Sarafina and two other lions my idea and I guess the three lionesses were hiding behind a tree the whole time, listening to everything. When I had finished my conversation, they surrounded me and told me to go to Scar. Sarafina and the two others wanted to attack but I told them no and that I would come back for them later. I wish I would have let them attack because what Scar did was just terrible, he is not the lion I remember from cubhood," Sarabi said sadly.

I nodded in agreement and patted Sarabi's paw lightly. If those plans had changed, things would have probably been different, perhaps a mutiny would have formed and Scar would be in the outlands by now.

"So what had been your plan any way?" asked Kalifa.

"Well I had planned to get all the lionesses and surround Scar and Zira and tell them how we felt and that we did not like it if nothing changed, and if they said no, we would attack and kill both of them since we do outnumber them four to one," said Sarabi.

"But remember, you have not had as much food as they have, and then you all would not be as strong," I said warning her.

"True, but when you want something done, you would probably use all the strength you needed," said Sarabi.

Kalifa and I nodded with her; both of us wanted the land to return as much as she did. And Sarabi of course was once a queen who used the land as wisely as she should have. We all pondered about what we should do now since the newest plan was now leaked and that was when I wondered why we had never sent for reinforcements.

"You know, I bet Tahir could help us," I said.

Sarabi looked up at me with hopeful eyes. "I should have thought about that before, Tahir has a son and a son-in-law that could help, they could easily overpower Scar now that they have a fruitful land and maybe if he agrees to help, we can merge the pride together and once this land heals we can go our separate ways again," she said.

"That would be brilliant," said Kalifa happily.

"And if you would like, Kalifa and I can go out and find him that way you won't have to make the long journey," I said.

"Sounds wonderful," said Sarabi.

The plan did sound wonderful. Tahir was five days away now, but since Kalifa and I could fly, we could reach Tahir in a day or two. We would return to the pride later and act like nothing is going to happen, then in less than a week, Tahir would arrive with his two other members and together they would kill Scar and life would return back to the way it was. I was jumping for joy underneath my feathers at the thought of that.

"So then its settled, you two will head out, if Scar asks for you, I will just tell him that I saw you fly over to the waterhole looking for water the last time I checked. And since it was your idea, I will count you as the hero when it is all said and done," said Sarabi.

"It would be an honor if you did," I said.

"Well you better get going, I don't want any one to be suspicious and wonder where you had gone," said Sarabi.

"We will and take care of yourself, it looks like you need a few days rest after what Scar did," I said.

Sarabi just nodded and watched as Kalifa and I flew away towards Tahir's territory and hopefully toward hope.

Kalifa and I flew all that day to Tahir's territory, we rested for a few hours that night as well and then left many hours before the sun came up just so we could get to him faster.

* * *

We reached Tahir's territory by late afternoon; we could tell we finally found the place by how much greener it really was and by all the animals. We flew around the area for quite some time looking for that familiar kind face that I knew so well. Luckily we ran into his advisor finch who was out patrolling the area.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a snobbish tone.

"Good afternoon Errol, we are looking for King Tahir, have you seen him?" I asked.

"Of course I have, if I hadn't I wouldn't be the advisor now would I," Errol said. One thing I did not like about this bird was how every sentence seemed to get more annoying, and every time it did I always felt like beaking him in the face.

"Well then can you show us to him?" I asked trying my best to sound like him even though I knew that I failed miserably.

"Fine, follow me, and it better be important, his majesty has just had a hunt and is now resting off his stomach," said Errol.

Kalifa and I just rolled our eyes and followed the snobbish finch toward Tahir. Errol wasted no time in taking us to him and once we reached our destination, we found that Tahir had created a suitable spot for taking a nap after a long hunt. It was by a group of rocks where an acacia tree had conveniently grown right on the side of it, creating a perfect place for the youngsters to play in and for the adults to rest against after a nice meal.

We quickly found Tahir sitting at the top most rock, with his mate while his son and daughter sat at the next rock down with their mates, happily enjoying the day. Errol flew up to them and took a bow.

"Your majesty, Zazu from the Pride Lands has arrived, he says he has something important," he said.

"Oh really, well send him over, I hope its good news," said Tahir who then looked up at me and smiled, I liked Tahir he was always so welcoming.

"Good afternoon Zazu, I hope you are well, I see you brought a friend along, I hope this means that your land is returning to the way it was," he said.

"Oh this is actually my sister Kalifa on holiday from home, usually comes to see me once a month, but that's not important at the moment for you see the land still has not returned to its original state and it seems to have gotten worse. A few days ago, Sarabi was beaten by Scar for trying to mutiny against him, and now he has lioness spies. So Sarabi sent me to ask if you could please help us by overthrowing this madman known as Scar. You could then help us return our home back to its original state, and possibly be greatly rewarded," I said.

Tahir lay there and listened, he was not at all like Scar or even Zira, he was very much like Mufasa, sensible and good natured, though not as wise.

"I understand your predicament, and I am greatly saddened by what Scar did to Sarabi, an ex queen should never be treated that way. So I will do what you have asked and bring my son and son-in-law with me. Tell Sarabi that once I end Scar's reign, they can journey back with me and live in our land until the Pride Lands are fit," said Tahir.

"Thank you sir, I will head back at once and inform them that you are coming," I said.

Tahir just nodded and then dismissed us while he turned to his mate and informed her that if he or the two other males did not return for some unknown reason that she would rule until his two month old son was old enough to take the throne. One good thing about Tahir was that he was quite a prolific breeder, one of the many reasons why he had to trade with Mufasa and I was surprised that he still had not learned to control that.

Kalifa and I flew back with happy spirits; we knew that everything was going to be okay soon. That night, we slept in an old acacia tree that was still part of Tahir's pride. I found a few delicious berries and seeds that I happily ate and quickly felt my old strength return from such a long hunger. Once I had satisfied my belly, Kalifa and I looked up at the stars and talked.

"I bet Mufasa is proud of what you did for him," said Kalifa.

"Me too, I just wonder what he will do to Scar when he reaches the place," I said.

"Hee hee, probably give him a big lecture and damn him from ever becoming a great king in the stars," said Kalifa.

"Hmm I don't think Mufasa would be like that, but who knows, I guess we will find out when we reach the age where we have to join them," I said.

Kalifa just nodded and continued to watch the stars with me, she was quite content with just sitting there and staring out into the dark void wishing that tomorrow would come sooner.

"Well I guess when we get back to the pride lands you'll have to go home huh?" I asked knowing about my sister's routine well.

"Don't be silly, I would not want to miss Scar's defeat for the world, I followed you to see Tahir and I am going to keep following you until it is over," said Kalifa.

I just laughed at her statement and then gave her a big hug before silently continuing our watch over the great kings and hoping that they would stay out to watch the new change that was coming to the Pride Lands.

* * *

We returned to Pride Rock two days later and found Sarabi sitting near a baobab tree waiting for us. We then quickly told her what was going to happen and to not tell the other lionesses in fear that another may be a spy or that they may be riled up and give away the secret and that Scar would be prepared for it.

Once my talk was settled with Sarabi I flew to the den to let Scar know that I was still alive and ready to do his bidding for the time being while Kalifa stayed in a safe place away from Scar.

"Good morning Scar, I apologize for my absence, for you see I got stuck in some brambles while trying to search for food and it took me a good many hours to finally get out," I said with a small chuckle hoping that Scar would buy it.

Scar just gave me a long stare while Zira gave a loud grunt before continuing with what she always did, pampering her beloved husband.

"Good for you then, I expect the morning report by late afternoon," he said.

I just nodded and flew out, I knew I had to make something up too since nothing ever happened and what usually did was caused by the hyenas.

I returned to Kalifa to tell her and so for the next few hours we made up a few interesting news story to tell to the soon departed king.

It was four days later when hope arrived; Kalifa and I were still sleeping in my nest when we received an early morning wake up call. It was a roar that was not from Scar and we quickly jumped out of the nest to investigate.

There we saw Tahir with his son and son-in-law standing on a rock a few feet from Pride Rock. Scar was running out of the den with Zira and went to the edge to see who caused the roaring. He roared back when he saw who it was while the rest of the lionesses from our pride watched a few feet away.

"Tahir, why are you here, what do you want?" growled Scar.

"I received an anonymous tip from someone that you are causing the pride to suffer and I believe that what you are doing is wrong so my son and son-in-law have decided to fix that by ending your reign once and for all," said Tahir whose voice sounded very noble and calm.

"I see, and how are you going to do this?" asked Scar who did not look the least bit worried, I did not like that.

"By fighting you to the death, including my son and son-in-law," said Tahir.

Scar then gave one of he scariest laughs I have ever heard come out of his mouth, it sounded like the devil himself had entered into the black lion. That was when I realized that the plan was going to backfire.

"Well I have news for you three, you see those hyenas behind you?" he asked.

Tahir and the other two males turned around and noticed that a large group of at least a hundred hyenas stood behind them, licking their chops and laughing happily.

"Yeah what about them?" asked Tahir's son.

"Well you have to get by them before you can kill the king," said Scar who then gave another evil laugh. "Kill them," he said finally.

Suddenly before Tahir and the other two could lunge, the entire pack of hyenas were upon them. Kalifa and I watched in horror as Tahir and the other two males tried to fight back but the hyenas just kept coming, they were able to kill a few but that was not enough, and soon Tahir's son was buried under a pile of hyenas never to rise again. Tahir's son-in-law quickly followed.

Tahir knew he was outnumbered and began to make a break for it, how he did so I had no idea. I saw him run with hundreds of wounds criss crossing his body, including one that was flowing quite rapidly down his neck, and another on his stomach that was just too horrible to even describe; I knew he would not live long even if he did make it. Finally the blood loss was too much for him and he collapsed to the ground where at least fifty hyenas took claim and finished him off.

I looked back at Scar who watched with proud eyes, and I felt terrible, another tragic death occurred in Tahir's pride but this time it was from a cold blooded killer. Our wonderful plan was ruined and now our life would never return to the way we wanted it to.

After a few minutes, the blood bath was over and the hyenas walked off acting like nothing had happened. Nothing remained of the bodies; the hyenas had been so hungry that they had consumed them as well. A gruesome thought for both me and Kalifa. Scar meanwhile looked down at the lionesses and roared with anger.

"Who's idea was that?" he roared.

"Speak up or I will kill you all," said Zira with hate in her eyes.

I knew I had to confess, it was my idea any way and I did not want any of the lionesses to suffer since they were suffering enough as it is.

"I did!" I said as I stood faithfully on the branch.

Scar turned to look at me. "You Zazu? You sent someone to kill me? I thought you were my ally," said Scar with sadness in his voice, I wasn't buying it.

"Well I wasn't, you ruined this pride Scar and I left for a few days to hopefully make a change to it, but you cheated and used hyenas so you can keep ruling this place and you know what, because of that I say you are a coward, a cold blooded coward," I said.

Scar sat there silently for a moment staring at me and then at Kalifa who was standing beside me looking like she was ready to attack Scar.

"Kalifa, you better leave this place now, you are banished from the Pride Lands and if I ever catch you conspiring with your brother again I will kill you right in front of him," said Scar.

Kalifa turned to me with tears in her eyes. I could tell that this was going to be hard for her. "Zazu?" she said, her voice shook.

"Go Kalifa, don't worry about me, I will see you again one day, I promise. Tell Tahir's pride what happened so they can know," I said as I gave her one last hug.

Kalifa said nothing but flew away in the direction of Tahir's pride; I could tell that sadness had now consumed her, now that I could never see her again.

I watched her go but was then rudely interrupted by Scar.

"Zazu! I want to see you in the den immediately," he said with a voice as cold as ice.

I knew that I could do nothing else but follow his order.

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A/N: Well there's chapter 23 for you finally with a nice cliffhanger in the end, I hope you thought it was okay, especially with Tahir's death, it seems rushed to me for some reason. I just hope I can get you a new chapter soon as well. Oh and before I forget, I am now working in Disney World more specifically at Typhoon Lagoon at a fast food joint called Leaning Palms so if any one makes a trip down feel free to say hi. I also have five other roomies and three bedrooms and two baths. LOL. So please review and I will see you all as soon as possible 


	24. Zazu's punishment

A/N: Hi Guys! I'm still here to give out another chapter of the story. My days off are kind of boring especially when you spend two hours doing laundry downstairs. How long I will be able to update like this, I am not sure so if I go missing for a while don't worry, I am just busy, it will probably happen starting September 19th when I start my class since I do have to write a few reports. But any way I would like to thank everyone for the reviews and to Soulbound for putting this story in her C2 list even though it is not completed which I am extremely confused about. So Soulbound if you read this can you please review. Any way on with the story.

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I could have turned my back and flew away that very instant, never to be in the clutches of Scar again, the life of a wanted bird. But that was the coward's way out and a life where you had to watch your back every second wondering if someone was following you to bring you back home and suffer even worse consequences.

No I decided to face my fears and enter that dark cave where Scar and Zira spent most of their days pampering themselves and plotting other evil activities. As I flew toward the cave, I could hear voices of encouragement from the lionesses, each telling me to "be brave" or "thanks for trying."

I then perched myself on a nearby rock and was instantly grabbed by Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed who I knew were keeping me from escaping, but I was not going to escape I was going to remain firm and calm, ready to answer any of Scar's questions.

For a moment, Scar circled me with his hate filled eyes, his face showed no emotion, just a blank stare that I came to hate over the years. Zira stood behind him waiting to see what kind of punishment I would receive.

The punishment came quick and sudden. First I saw Scar raise his from paw with a face full of fury and hate and then strike down at me. The force was so strong that it knocked me out of the three hyenas grasps and caused me to fly across the room where I hit my head against a wall.

I groaned in pain and sat up and touched the spot on my chest where Scar had struck and felt a warm watery feeling but it was not water, it was blood. One of Scar's claws had done its job on me, it hurt but after noticing how slowly the blood was flowing I knew it was not life threatening. I looked up at Scar with fear and surprise as he loomed above me.

"How dare you try to destroy your king, after all I have done for you," said Scar with a horrible growl.

I swallowed hard, I did not like the way his anger seemed to be rising, but I knew I had to remain strong. "What have you ever done for me, all you have ever done was try to eat me and call me a snoop, in fact you deserve to be thrown off a cliff," I said angrily.

Suddenly Scar gave a deafening roar that shook the walls of the cave. I ducked as some rocks fell down to earth from the top of the ceiling; luckily all of them missed me. But I was not prepared for what was coming next, when all was silent, I looked up at Scar and in the blink of an eye, he slapped me as hard as he could against my face, this time, I lost consciousness.

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I don't know how long I had been in the state of unconsciousness but I knew it must have been at least a day because I did wake up for at least a few seconds before blacking out again, and that time I remember that it was dark like at night in the cave, and I could hear soft breathing coming from the lionesses who slept nearby, yet I did not try to look for them. Instead I closed my eyes again and let my world return when it was ready.

I remember after closing them again that I found myself in a beautiful place full of green grass and trees full of fruit. At first I thought I had died from Scar's suddenly attacks but Kalifa was there and I knew she was not dead. I quickly flew to her and she just stood on a nearby branch waiting for me.

"Kalifa are we dead?" I asked.

Kalifa just chuckled and stroked the back of my head. "No you silly, we are both sill alive and kicking, this is only a hallucination that you are experiencing from what Scar did to you, don't worry you will be fine in a few hours," she said.

I gave a deep sigh, too bad my dreams could not change the real world. I then looked back at my sister and suddenly noticed that someone different was standing beside me, it was my grandfather.

"Hello Zazu," he said.

I gasped and stared at him in the face. "But I thought you were dead?" I said.

"I am but that can't keep me from seeing you in your dreams now can it?" he asked

"No, it's always good to see someone in your dreams," I said.

Grandpa nodded for a second and then looked sadly at me. "Now listen, even though your life is going to get quite hard, don't loose hope because hope will find you," he said.

"What kind of hope would that be, you saw what Scar did to Tahir and his other two members, no one can fight him because he cheats," I said.

"Oh you'll be surprised, it will be from someone you will not expect, I will not tell you who because it might change everything, just keep your hopes up and everything will be fine," said grandpa.

"But I still don't understand…" I said as I looked up at grandpa but when that happened, he simply vanished and left me alone on that single tree trunk. It felt lonely to be there and I wanted someone there to stand beside me.

"Well if it ain't my little brother," said a voice behind me.

I turned around and saw Azizi standing there and he looked the same after all these years, he had the same face, the same coloring, and yet his personality had changed, he was much kinder and gentler; it must have been because it was only a dream.

"Azizi, are you still alive?" I asked.

"Yes I am, yet I am very far away from home with a happy family and prosperous kingdom. I wish you were here to see how beautiful it is, you would probably want to live here with us. As a matter of fact, would you like to join us?" he asked.

I sighed and looked down at my feet and then looked back at my brother. "I'm sorry Azizi, but my place is here, grandpa said life will change for me soon and I want to be there to see it," I said.

Suddenly Azizi grabbed me and shook me violently; it was like he had turned into a demon. "Then wake up!" he cried aloud.

I opened my eyes with a start and stood up fast. But I instantly fell back down because I now felt a horrible pain in my head from where Scar had hit me. I rubbed it for a minute as I looked down at my chest where Scar had also hit. The blood had now dried and had turned my white feathers into a rust color; it was going to take a while to wash off.

I then noticed something else, I was still in the same place where I had lost consciousness, but now there was a rib cage over me. I knew Scar had done this, I guess he thought I was going to run away and never return. I then looked outside of the rib cage, and there I saw Scar sitting there, watching me and waiting for me to stir.

"Oh good I did not kill you, yet," said Scar when he noticed I was looking at him.

I said nothing while Scar paced back and forth; he seemed to like doing that.

"Why did you try to have me killed?" he asked with an icy voice.

I was silent for a moment, still rubbing my sore head, even though he spoke with a soft voice it still felt as if he was yelling. I finally answered before he could yell for me to answer him. "Because you have ruined this kingdom, there is nothing left for us and we are all dying of hunger, you don't bother to do anything but let the hyenas take over," I said with a soft voice, I did not want to raise my voice because my head was making me feel quite dizzy and that it felt like a thousand elephants were pounding it.

"Are you sure its not because we are in a drought, droughts can do that you?" said Scar in a matter of fact voice.

"They can't make the land like this, it's your fault Scar, the land is now dead because of you," I said hoping that it would change his attitude, it didn't.

"How dare you speak of such disrespect to your king," Scar growled as he put his muzzle between the ribs displaying his sharp, pearly white teeth, luckily he could not reach me.

"You're no king, your nothing but a rat, an overlarge rat," I said making sure I said rat with the most hated voice.

Scar growled. "If you weren't in that cage I would kill you this instant," he said.

"Well then go ahead, you can plainly see that we are not allies," I said.

"No I'd rather have you become my jester, from now on for the rest of your life you are to live in that cage. You will only go out when I let you and when you do go out you will be accompanied by a vulture named Nassor, if you try to escape he has my permission to kill you. Also you are now my entertainment, you are responsible to make me laugh and to make a fool out of yourself when I say so is that understood?" Scar asked.

"Yes your majesty," I said sarcastically.

"Good, now if you will excuse me I have a meeting with the lionesses over your fate," said Scar who then slunk away from my cage and out of the cave.

I leaned against the wall and watched him go. I could not believe that Scar was now going to do this to me, live a lonely life inside a cave for the rest of my life. But then I remembered what my grandfather said, things will change for the better soon, how long soon was I did not know but I hoped it would be quick, I would rather have Nassor the vulture kill me than entertain Scar for the rest of my life.

I sighed and rubbed my head again, it still hurt quite badly, I knew it would be a while before it stopped throbbing and hopefully Scar would not want entertainment any time soon, I would not be up for that. Finally I decided to lie down and let my sleep heal my aching head so I would not have to deal with the pain forever.

As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about who it would be to save us, and if he or she did, would he or she be our next leader of the pride lands.

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A/N: oh dear really short chapter, sorry about that. I plan to make the next chapter longer and more interesting. In fact the next chapter will be the last time Scar is really king, then Simba returns, horray everyone probably says. And I hope that last sentence sounded okay, it sounded kinda stupid but I did not know what else to say. Well any way I will have the next chapter up whenever I get the chance, it could be in a few days or it could be in a few weeks, I have no idea but hopefully you will find out soon. Well please review and I will see you in the next chapter. 


	25. The courtship of Scar and Zira

Well guys here's the next chapter but before I begin I have three comments. First comment is that if any of you ever make a trip down to Disney World, go to Epcots newest ride called Soarin' it is the coolest thing ever. You fly in the air and see cool sights along the way it is just so awesome, I want to ride it a million times.

Also to Space Spy, I forgot to say this in the last chapter but that sucks that you cannot come this year; it would be great to meet you and join you in a walk around the park for a day. Don't you hate it when money is tight?

Also I am going to try a line or two from The Lion King on Broadway which I have never seen but have read a line or two so if I mess up don't yell at me or anything.

Well any way time for the next chapter.

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"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, nobody knows my sorrow."

I sang the sad tune to Scar as I sat in the corner against the rib cage while he gnawed on a bone. Zira was not with him that afternoon because earlier they both had fought over a simple matter of wanting a cub. Zira said she was not ready but Scar insisted and in the end, Scar was left alone in the cave, nursing his pride after Zira had kicked him in a rather soft spot. So now he demanded my company or at least my singing which was actually a routine thing for me.

But one can sing so many songs after being in a cage for three months so far. It had been the worst three months as well since I had to be supervised everywhere I went, even to the bathroom, a horrible thing to do in front of someone especially if that someone is a vulture.

"Oh Zazu do lighten up," Scar said as I groaned the song while he threw a bone at my cage. "Sing something with a little bounce in it."

I thought for a moment about a good song, that's when an idea popped into my head. Why not annoy him, I had not done that yet and he deserved it since he did it to me twenty four seven.

"It's a small world after all," I began to sing.

It worked Scar flinched and gave me a disgusted look. "No, no! Anything but that," he said.

I sighed and then thought of the only song that had a great bounce to it and the only one I enjoyed. "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts," I began to sing.

Scar quickly joined in and used animal skulls that he killed over the past year as a prop to go along with it. Of course he talked to it as well, something I knew Mufasa would never have done, that would make him crazy and so far that's what Scar was, probably one of the reasons why Zira did not want to have a cub with him.

"Oh I never had to do this with Mufasa," I groaned while he continued to sing hoping he could not hear it, but nothing of course went past Scar now.

"What did you say?" he asked as he jumped toward me with his teeth bearing.

"Uh nothing," I said in a worried voice.

"You know the law; never ever mention that name in my presence. I AM THE KING!" He said making sure king was said clearly so I heard it. His voice was so strong though that it caused me to fly back and run into the wall. I was so used to it though that I quickly recovered and decided to humor him.

"Yes sire you are the king, Well I only mentioned it to illustrate the differences in your royal managerial approaches," I said nervously while Scar looked at me obviously annoyed. I could tell he was about to say how much of a smart alec I was when Banzai suddenly called out to Scar, no doubt Shenzi and Ed were not far behind.

"What is it this time?" Scar said as he turned toward the three hyenas.

"We got a bone to pick with you," said Banzai.

"Scar there's no food no water……." Shenzi began.

"Yeah its dinner time, and we ain't got no stinking entrees," said Banzai.

"It's the lionesses job to do the hunting," said Scar in whiny voice, I could tell there was no way he was going to hunt for any body, not even himself any time soon.

"But they won't go hunt," whined Banzai.

"Ohhhh, eat Zazu," he said pointing at me. I jumped at the sound of them eating me.

"Oh you wouldn't want me, I'd be so tough and gamey and ewwww," I said hoping they would buy it, Scar just laughed.

"Oh Zazu don't be ridiculous, all you need is a little garnish," said Scar. I just gulped while Banzai whispered something in Shenzi's ear, it sounded like they mentioned Mufasa and Scar of course did not miss that.

"What did you say?" asked Scar with a roar.

"I said uh…Kepasa," said Banzai with a smirk, he was a terrible liar yet Scar bought it.

"Good, now get out," said Scar angrily.

The three started walking out but Banzai still thought Scar would change his mind. "Yeah but we're still hungry," he said in a slightly nervous voice.

"OUT!" Growled Scar.

The three yelped and quickly disappeared out of the cave. Scar massaged his head in annoyance, even he was overwhelmed by the hyenas and there whining sometimes, but it was still not stopping him from letting them live in the pride lands.

"They really should hunt for themselves," Scar said in a low voice as he ambled over to me looking rather tired of the whole situation.

"I totally agree with you sire, the lionesses should not hunt for that many animals, they need their rest too," I said trying to be like a teachers pet of some sort.

"Shut up Zazu, I know you are just bluffing," I said Scar who then lay down beside my cage. It was normal for him to do this when he was down so I know he was going to start with the whining himself.

"I'm sorry sire but if I say anything else you try to hit me," I said as I rubbed my face which had been hit many times before.

Scar just sighed and looked toward the barren wasteland of the pridelands.

"Tell me Zazu, am I adored?" he asked.

I looked at him in shock; I had never heard him ask such a thing before and was not exactly sure what to say. "You mean with the lionesses or jut with Zira?" I asked

"All of them," said Scar.

"Er well if you remember correctly, Sarabi did try to plot against you and you can safely say that the other lionesses were going to help her as well so I should say only a few adore you," I said nervously, I knew I had to give him a truthful response.

"Then do you think Zira adores me?" asked Scar.

"I bet she does, but in truth I believe you are a little too rough with her. I saw you try to get at her today and you were a little hard with her," I said.

"Then what can I do to get her to give me an heir?" asked Scar who now sounded like a young child wanting to learn how to do something right.

"Uh you're asking the wrong person sire, you see I have never fallen in love, so I…." I began but Scar just growled.

"Just tell me Zazu before I feed you to Banzai," said Scar.

I sighed; it was not going to be easy to explain to him seeing as how I had never courted before so I was not totally sure on how that was done.

"Well sire, first of all you should not attack her so suddenly, why not be romantic with her first like you always do with her when you don't think about having cubs, just do what comes naturally," I said hoping that what I said would not make him angry.

"Hmm sounds reasonable, I'll try it but if that does not work, you better have a better idea for getting me an heir or there will be hell to pay," said Scar who showed his claws at me through the cage. I looked at them with a frightened face, I hoped my idea worked, the thought of being injured by Scar again was too much to bear.

"I understand sire," was the only words I could muster.

Scar said nothing but when out toward the cave entrance and stood there for quite a long time. I knew he was thinking about what to tell Zira, I hoped it would be romantic rather than the usual things about how wonderful he was as a king or talking about how black his mane was.

He disappeared a few minutes later and was gone for quite a long time. But when he returned, Zira was beside him and both gave each other very loving looks and I knew that Scar must have said something very romantic because Zira was closer to him than usual.

They then lay beside each other in their usual spot and both stared quietly at each other for quite a long time.

"You know, I have never told you how lovely your eyes look," said Scar.

"And you have the most lovely mane I have ever seen in a lion," said Zira.

Yes I know it was something they had always said to each other but this time it seemed to have more sympathy and more love. Of course this could mean another heir that would be raised by Scar but maybe the child would change later on and see the bad shape of the pride lands when he grew up and maybe usurp Scar. Maybe the child would be the hope my grandfather had told me in my dreams, it was a thought and it could happen.

I was so caught up in my thoughts though that I did not see Scar and Zira walk up to me until they were eye level.

"Looks like we are going to have to do something about Zazu, we will need our privacy," said Scar.

"Then let him out and let Nassor watch him like always," said Zira.

Scar let me out and led me to the front of the cave where we waited for Nassor who usually spent his days in the tree I used to live in; luckily he could not fit in my little home in the side since he would have probably ruined it to make it perfect for himself.

Nassor flew down when he spotted both of us and without a word, followed me while I flew toward a nearby anthill for food.

If you don't remember me saying, Nassor was a vulture, one of those birds who loved to eat dead things and no doubt ate Mufasa after he had died. His head was bald; no feather any where on it. It made him look quite ugly because it was a light pink with a few warts dotting his face. He had the face only a mother could love, yet I heard he had a mate. How his mate looked, I had no idea, he told me she lives somewhere else and comes to visit when she feels like it.

Nassor stood beside me while I pecked at the few ants that were brave enough to venture out. They were not very filling but at least I had something in my stomach, I was only allowed out once and once was never enough for me. I usually fell asleep hungry and worried whether or not I would get food by morning or if I would be fit to even go out for food. It was a dreary existence.

"Zazu," a voice called from behind me.

I turned around and saw Sarafina looking quite tired and distraught for some reason; she usually looked like this when Nala was off by herself sometimes, so I knew something happened to Nala. Of course Nassor spread his wings out and tried to chase her off, but Sarafina stood her ground and growled at him.

"I just want to ask him something, I have no plans on destroying the king," said Sarafina. Ever since the Tahir incident, I was not supposed to talk to any one unless Scar approved of it first. Hopefully Nassor would make an exception this time.

Nassor lowered his wings and glared at Sarafina. "Fine but only for five minutes, any longer and I will chase you away," he said.

"Fine by me," said Sarafina who then gave Nassor a wide berth and walked over to me.

"Are you alright?" I asked her.

"I'm fine but I am worried about Nala, I have not seen her in three days and I was wondering if you have seen her at all," she asked.

"I have not seen her at all, I hope the hyenas did not attack her," I said. The hyenas attacking Nala were something we have always feared, they always eyed her and licked their chops when she walked by.

"Oh I hope they did not either, maybe she left to find a better home, I hope that's the case, she deserves it," said Sarafina.

"Well if I do see her I will tell her to find you," I said.

"Thank you Zazu, I will leave now," said Sarafina who was then chased off by Nassor, I sighed and continued to eat a few more ants until no more came out of hill.

"I guess I am done," I sighed.

"Then back to the cave with you," said Nassor.

I was then escorted back to the cave where I quietly returned to the cage while Nassor shut it. Scar and Zira were now kissing each other and purring happily. I wondered if they had done their job and the new heir was to be born.

Apparently Scar had read my thoughts because a second later he walked over to me with a very big smirk on his face.

"Your advice was most helpful, you will live to see another day, thank you for the advice," said Scar who then walked back to Zira and continued to smother Zira with love.

I sighed and leaned against the wall. I was not tired but I had to think of a way to drown out the sounds Zira and Scar made. Luckily I amused myself by hitting rocks against the rib bones and by the time I was bored with that game, Scar and Zira had fallen asleep.

I hoped that they would have a child soon and hopefully that child would change everything one day. And life would be back the way it was.

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A/N: Ew I suddenly feel so dirty writing that chapter. Hope you liked it though; it gets more interesting in the next chapter. Well I will update when I can again so have a great weekend and please review. 


	26. Simba Returns

Hello everyone its time for another chapter of Memoirs of a Blue Bird. But first I have to say that Animal Kingdom is an awesome theme park. They are building a new ride there that I will probably not go on but its called "expedition Everest" It's a roller coaster ride that takes you through the mountain in search of a yeti, that's all I really know so far but all I know is that its really big and kind of stands out more than the Tree Of Life, I hope that thing does not change as the main focus of the place because The Tree of Life rocks.

Also when you go to the Kilimanjaro Safari watch out for the Thompson Gazelle, it seems to be their mating season and they are not shy about showing it.

Well any way if any one has any questions feel free to ask and I will answer them when I get a chance. Now on with the story.

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The months that followed felt like years while the days felt like months to me. I would stay in the cave day after day, entertaining Scar and sometimes Zira and often getting yelled at for not being entertaining enough. 

Zira of course was now pregnant so she was much more moodier than normal. She was always angry when the lionesses came home with nothing and often tried to make them feel bad by saying that her cub would probably die at birth. The other lionesses usually rolled their eyes at this since Zira was often overly dramatic and was usually lucky enough to find a few field mice to satisfy her hunger for the day.

Much to Sarafina's dismay though, Nala was never seen again, yet most of us believed that she had left to find a better place. But Sarafina still showed sadness by thinking that she must have been killed by hyenas. I still hoped that she had found some place better, she had grown up in such a terrible place that she needed to live the rest of her life happily, I hoped to one day hear from her again.

Of course those kinds of thoughts actually get answered over time and it happened on the day of Scar's child's birth.

I remember waking up to a loud roar that echoed throughout the cave. I jumped up to the sound and looked toward the sleeping area where Scar and Zira slept. There I saw both of them; Scar was standing beside Zira who was lying on her side and looking like she was in a lot of pain. Scar tried to comfort her.

"Keep pushing Zira, the child will come out soon, I would send for Rafiki but I don't know where that creature's blue behind is," Scar said with both an angry and a worried voice.

"I don't need Rafiki any way, I can handle this by myself," said Zira who then let out another roar of pain

For the first time in his life, Scar looked scared. I could tell he was afraid that he was going to loose the child and Zira. I did not blame him, it sounded worse than Sarafina's or Sarabi's combined and both had little trouble conceiving.

The commotion quickly brought a crowd of curious lions and hyenas to the entrance of the cave and see what was going on, one of them was Sarabi.

"Scar what is happening?" she asked in a curious voice.

"Can't you see, Zira is about to give birth, now I want you all out of here unless one of you knows how to make the birthing process easier," Scar growled angrily at all of them.

It made all the lionesses and hyenas jump in fright and without second bidding, they all ran away from the cave as fast as they could.

Scar then turned back to Zira who was now breathing quite heavily and looking extremely tired.

"Don't give up now Zira my love, you can do this I know you can," said Scar.

"But the pain, I have never experienced anything like this," Zira moaned in agony.

"But that is how most lionesses feel at birth now please try to keep going, I don't want to loose my lovely queen and mate," Scar cried, I could tell he was now on the verge of tears.

Zira screamed again as she felt another jolt from inside her stomach, at that moment I wished I could help her and I felt terrible just standing there watching her suffer even though she had turned into a psychotic freak like Scar.

Seconds quickly passed into minutes and minutes soon passed into hours. I'm not sure how long the labor was but I knew it was three or four, way too long for any lioness trying to give birth to a cub; it would be a miracle if it even survived.

Finally Zira let out the biggest roar imaginable and a second later I saw a small wet bundle suddenly appear behind her. Zira then collapsed in exhaustion as the cub began to cry out for air, I was amazed that it was even alive.

"Is that your only cub?" asked Scar worriedly.

"Yes…..It is finally…over," said Zira who then slowly sat back up and grabbed the cub so she could clean him.

I watched as Zira cleaned the cub while Scar circled around them, trying to get a better look at the cub that would be his heir. He seemed excited yet worried at the same time.

"Is it male or female?" he asked.

It's a male," said Zira.

"May I see him?" asked Scar with tenderness in his voice.

"Wait one more minute, I need to finish cleaning him," said Zira who continued the cleaning until the cub was finally dry and presented in front of Scar.

Scar looked down at his soon to be heir and then turned away with a disgusted look. I could see the cub as well. It was scrawny with barely any meat on him; his fur even though it was cleaned looked terribly matted for a newborn, probably from the lack of nutrition he had received while in the womb

"What is wrong my love?" asked Zira.

"That is no king, just a scrawny cub that will not survive its first week," said Scar with sadness in a voice. I knew that for a long time he dreamed of an heir and now it turned out to be a scrawny cub that barely had life in him.

"But he is only a newborn, perhaps overtime he will become a strong cub and worthy enough to be a king, besides we also need to name him," said Zira.

"All the cubs that have been born to this pride looked healthier than that so he will not be my heir but I will name him, I will call him Nuka and he will be treated like any other member of the pride and I will still treat him as my son," said Scar.

"Then what are we to do if Nuka is to not to be your heir?" asked Zira who grabbed Nuka and held him close.

"We will try again this time create a stronger cub, it's not your fault but I know who's fault it is," said Scar.

"Whose fault is it?" asked Zira.

"Mufasa's widow," growled Scar in one of his very angry voices, I could tell he was not happy with her and her hunting, even though he was the one who turned this land into a barren wasteland in the first place. But what could Sarabi do, food was scarce and very hard to come by, she would have to hunt without rest if he wanted food all the time to create the perfect cub for himself.

Scar then ran out of the cave in an angry rage, I hoped he would not hurt Sarabi but he probably would after learning that his son was so malnourished.

"SARABI!" I heard him yell a few seconds later.

I knew it had been the last straw for him especially when the famine nearly cost Zira and his newborn cub his life. Now he was going to deal with it but this time I know he was going to change the hunting rules and that could cause the lionesses to become weaker. This was not going to be a good talk.

I could hear Scar talking once Sarabi arrived but I could not hear what they had to say, apparently Scar's temper had not risen yet, perhaps Sarabi just had enough and let him go ahead and say what he wanted. Zira did not even get up to make sure everything was alright, she stayed where she was, nursing Nuka who sucked at her side voraciously, the poor thing was starving and Zira would probably run out of milk very fast if they did not find food as often as Scar wanted. That was going to be hard, I only saw two gazelle yesterday and they did not look to be sticking around the place for long.

"I'M TEN TIMES THE KING MUFASA WAS!" I heard Scar roar and saw a flash of light outside. I knew a thunderstorm was approaching, that was good maybe rain would fall but if it only brought lightening then that would be bad, the ground was a ticking time bomb, fire would easily spread and cause a lot of damage.

I heard Nuka whimper when another flash struck, Zira just licked him, hoping that would calm him down a little, it worked and he continued trying to have a meal.

I could still hear Scar out there and someone else, but I had no idea who it was. The voice did not sound female and I could sense anger and worry, something was not right. I could tell Zira sensed it too; she stayed still and listened, trying to get the scent of the creature as she inhaled with her nostrils.

"Sounds like someone else is trying to take over the pride lands, Scar will deal with him though," said Zira with a grin but still held Nuka close.

As I heard Zira's words, I wondered who this unknown rogue was and what made him decide to try and kill Scar when no one else could, he must have been a very brave lion.

Suddenly lightening struck again near the tip of pride rock and this time the sky turned red, a fire had now started, that was not good, because of that, the ground would become dryer than before and nothing would want to live here.

"MURDERER!" the stranger yelled.

This caused Zira to sit straight up and listen, it did not sound good and I could tell she was worried.

There was silence for a few more seconds and that's when I heard Scar say something completely shocking.

"I KILLED MUFASA," he roared. At that instant I wanted to know the whole story, the whole story of how Scar killed his own brother, whether or not he was lying or that it really happened.

I then heard roars and growls as a huge commotion started to erupt, it sounded like there was now a full fledged fight going on and this time the lionesses were helping.

Zira jumped up and went to the entrance of the cave to watch while her cub began to cry. At first it looked like she was going to stand there but then she decided to run out and help, but then made up her mind again and came back running toward Nuka. Then she hesitated and looked at Nuka for a moment, then looked outside at the pride fighting, and quickly made up her mind. She did not come back again.

I sat there all alone in the cave, listening the howls and yelps that occurred outside. I could also hear Nuka only a few feet away, crying for milk but unable to find any as he crawled around looking for his mother. I suddenly felt bad for the poor child even though his father was a complete monster. I now felt like I needed to help them out there but I could not get out and I suddenly felt totally useless.

Suddenly I heard someone panting and yelping with surprise and a second later, a creature I had not seen in a long time entered the cave. It was a meerkat and it was being pursued by Shenzi and Banzai. I hoped that he could help me get out.

"Let me out, let me out!" I yelled

"Let me in, let me in," he said as he brought his skinny body through the cage and in fear grabbed a hold of me. Like I was going to protect him, I did not even know him yet he acted like I was his savior.

"Please don't eat me," he said as Shenzi and Banzai who stood outside the cage licking their lips happily.

I then heard a grunt and everyone turned around to find an angry looking warthog staring at the two hyenas angrily. He looked tough but he was probably no match for the hyenas

"Hey who's the pig?" asked Banzai in a wise guy voice.

"Are you talking to me?" asked the warthog.

"Uh oh he called him a pig," said the meerkat.

"Are you talking to me?" asked the warthog.

"Now they're in for it," said the meerkat.

"THEY CALL ME MR. PIG! AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHH!" said the warthog who then charged.

What happened next, happened so fast that I don't even think I took a breath while watching the brave warthog. First he charged and scooped up Banzai and flipped him over his head causing poor Banzai to fly in the air and land on his side. Shenzi quickly saw the young warthog's dangerous act and ran toward the entrance. The warthog then kicked the cage, setting me and the meerkat free. Together we chased the two hyenas out where a stupefied Ed waited. Once they all disappeared we all whooped for joy until I had to ask a very important question.

"Tell me, who is this very brave lion who has come to save the pride?" I asked.

"It's the king," said the warthog

"The king, what pride was he originally from?" I asked.

"No he is the king of this pride, he is Simba," said the meerkat.

"It can't be!" I said in awe as I watched the reddish maned lion fight off hyenas. He was truly a remarkable lion and it was hard to imagine that he was the rambunctious cub I knew two years ago.

Then I saw another familiar face that had been missing for months, it was Nala. I knew she must have run off to find help of any kind and somehow found Simba, how she figured out it was him made me wonder since it must have been quite hard.

Suddenly I felt the wind get knocked out of me as I felt myself sliding straight into the side of the rock. I blacked out for a second and when I regained my senses I found myself staring into the eyes of Nassor. He had the look of hate in his face and one of his claws had a death grip around my body. All around him, the fire burned but he did not care, in fact his very soul seemed to match everything around him.

"N-Nassor, w-what are you d-doing?" I asked in the most frightened voice I have ever used.

"You know the rules that King Scar made up. It's death to those who escape the rib cage," said Nassor who then used his wing to hold me down as he lifted up his huge pimply claws to gore me to death. I still stood my ground; ready to die fighting for what was right. Too bad I barely fought at all.

Suddenly I felt his pressure leave my body while I heard a loud squawk of pain. I opened my eyes to see that the warthog had charged Nassor and now had him lying against a rock, but he looked like he was not going to stop there.

Suddenly he leapt up and went straight toward me. I decided that it was best to fight back and did the same. Together we collided in midair, scratching each other with our claws, feathers flying. I could feel sweat fall down my face from the heat of the flames but I was not going to stop, I had to help Simba win this war.

Of course because of his size, he got the better of me and before I knew it I was lying against a rock again as Nassor came toward me, eyes blazing full of hate and ready to finish me off.

"Now comes my moment of victory. I never liked you Zazu, and neither did any one else. Once I finish with you, I will be known as 'Nassor the majordomo slayer', how does that sound my fair feathered friend," said Nassor with such hate in his voice that it was hard to imagine him to be even a bird.

I stood my ground as he was ready to try and finish me off again, but this time, the warthog returned. Yet this time he ran faster and was able to finish off the terrible vulture by throwing him into the flames with his heavy tusks. Nassor's life was now over.

I then turned to the warthog when he returned and smiled at him. "Thank you for saving my life twice, tell me, what is you and your friends name?" asked.

"I'm Pumbaa, and this here is Timon," said the warthog.

"And what is your name?" asked Timon.

"It's Zazu, the advisor to the pride lands," I said.

"Oh Simba told us all about you and how well you baby sat him, its great to meet you for the first time," said Pumbaa.

I stood there in shock, Simba actually liked the way I baby sat him, he must have appreciated it after he left the pride lands for whatever reason.

"Oh my goodness," said Pumbaa suddenly.

I stared at him and found him staring up at the rocks for some reason, that's when I saw Simba fighting Scar to the death. Both slashed and bit at each other as they each tried to finish each other off.

Finally Simba did the smart thing after he was knocked onto his back. Scar tried to pounce and attack but was quickly thrown over pride rock by Simba who pushed him away with his back legs. Scar fell down quite a ways before landing with a heavy thud.

But he was not dead; he quickly stood up and was met by a pack of hungry looking hyenas. Like lightening they attacked. Scar was instantly buried under a flood of hyenas, a victim of the ones who allied against him.

As soon as Scar's legacy ended, the rain returned. It began to fall hard as it replenished the soil and destroyed the fires that surrounded pride rock. I joined the lionesses who waited at the base for Simba to come down and present himself and when he arrived a few seconds later, I quickly bowed to him while the lionesses walked up to him and nudged him happily. Simba had returned home.

We were all then startled by Rafiki who shook his stick and pointed it toward the edge of pride rock. Simba quickly walked up to the old mandrill and gave him a huge hug.

Rafiki then pushed him away and looked him in the eye. "It is time," he said.

Simba then turned and climbed up the rock toward the edge. I watched him with awe as he did so. The rain fell down hard but I did not care, it felt so wonderful feeling it for the first time in months. Finally Simba reached the edged and looked to the sky before giving a powerful roar. The lionesses soon joined him as they accepted him as their new king.

Halfway through the roaring, Nala joined him, announcing that she was now the new queen of the pridelands. It made me feel so happy that we were to be ruled by kind hearted lions and not lions that did not care what was happening to the pride.

Once the roaring was over. Simba looked down at his newly formed pride and gave everyone a warm smile before walking down toward the cave. The lionesses followed and so did Timon, Pumbaa, and I.

As soon as we entered, we heard the pained cries of Nuka, searching for milk. Simba walked up to him and sniffed him before turning to the lionesses.

"Whose cub is this?" he asked.

"It's Zira's, Scar's mate and queen to the pridelands. I say we destroy him, we don't want him trying to take over when he is older," said Sarabi obviously not in the mood of having any thing to do with Scar in the pride now.

"I'm not like that though mother, let him try to live, if his mother is still alive," said Simba.

All the lionesses looked around for Zira but she was no where in sight, I knew where she might be and I was willing to find out.

"Sire, I will go look for her and return her here to you," I said.

"Thank you Zazu, tell her I need to speak with her as well" said Simba.

I then flew out of the cave and toward the spot where Scar had fallen, sure enough there was Zira standing next to what was left of Scar and trying to get him to wake up. I could tell she had tried to fight bravely for she had a lot of fresh marks on her including a very bloody ear, she would probably have a notch there for the rest of her life once it healed.

"Scar, Scar, please wake up, you need to finish ruling this kingdom," she said shaking him as hard as she could.

I did not expect Scar to wake up again, but he did and he quickly responded. "Zira…… my love," he said.

"Oh Scar, the new lion took over the pride, you must take it back from him," said Zira.

"No Zira……. my time is up, raise…… Nuka for me, and find a…….. new mate, the first son you have…… train him to rule and take over……. Simba's pride, can you……… do that for me?" asked Scar who gave deep breaths every second and every time he tried to move seemed to be a hassle for him, he reminded me of Nadira and her death.

"I promise," said Zira with tears in her eyes.

Scar gave a small smirk before finally closing his eyes forever. Zira then wailed and lay down on him despite the many bloody wounds. I waited for a few minutes before I finally called down to her.

"Zira, Simba requests to speak with you immediately and your cub is calling to you," I said quietly.

"Can't you see I am in mourning, tell Simba I will be there when I am ready, now leave me," she said with such spite that I thought she would slash out at me.

I sighed and quickly flew away from Zira hoping that Simba would be reasonable with her, she had a cub to feed, and kicking her out was not a good solution, even if she promised Scar that she would raise a cub to kill Simba. I would warn him about that.

I flew back through the rain and entered the cave where Simba and the rest of the lionesses were waiting. Simba was standing beside Nuka who was now nuzzled against Simba's paw. It was a cute sight and it made me wish Simba could raise the poor thing.

"Zira said she is coming and I would best watch her sir, Scar told her to raise another child that will be stronger and one day destroy you," I told him.

"Thank you for that information Zazu, I will talk to her," said Simba.

I stared at Simba, he truly looked like the lion who was the hope for our future, it was most likely that he would turn the lands into a flourishing kingdom again. I would finally see Kalifa again and everyone would be so healthy.

Five minutes later Zira came walking in, her face heavy with tears at the loss of her mate. She did not look like someone who was willing enough to talk about anything.

She went straight over to Nuka who instantly pounced on her and began to nurse voraciously while Zira lay on the floor crying.

Simba walked up to her and looked at her with sadness in his eyes. "Zira, I am sorry about what happened to Scar but he ruined the kingdom and I had to save it," he said.

"He was not ruining the kingdom, it was a wonderful kingdom, everything was perfect," said Zira with a sad growl.

I stood there wondering what terrible thoughts Scar had given her to think such a thing, but I tried not to think about it while Simba continued.

"I'm still sorry then, and even though you were his follower I will still let you stay with the pride since you have a cub to feed and everything, but if you try to overthrow me then you are out of the pride, are we clear?" asked Simba.

"Perfectly," said Zira who just cleaned Nuka and pretended she did not here a word of anything Simba had said.

Simba just nodded and turned to his new pride, he had a lot to talk about and I wanted to hear every word of it.

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A/N: There's Chapter 26 for everyone, hope you all liked it and I hope I explained everything okay. I thought it would be good to end the chapter like that instead of just having Simba roaring, makes it more unique. Also I will have a good reason for Zira to be kicked out later on in the story. If any of you have heard of Simba's son Kopa then I will explain why he was switched with Kiara and why Simba was so protective of Kiara. Any way please review and my next chapter will be up later. Have a great week. 


	27. Hakuna Matata

Hey guys another chapter for you I am happy to say, that may change in a week or two since I start classes on the 19th. But I will have to see what that class will be like and everything.

Also thank you to Pichooi for giving me my 200th review, the highest I have ever received, sorry Soulbound you were one point short. And to answer you quickly about that question you asked if Zira is pregnant, no she is not. Scar is not even the son of Kovu according to the movie, and if he was then Kovu and Kiara would be cousins, ewwwww. So we can safely say that Kovu's father is just a rogue wandering the territory somewhere. Good question though.

Also **important please read:** If any of you guys have been trying to get at hold of me through aim please send me an email first, because I have no idea who you are and I don't answer people if I do not know them, I think someone from here has been trying to get a hold of me but I don't answer unless I know who it is.

Any way I am going to start my chapter, which might be funny; it depends on how you see it since I have a hard time doing funny stuff for some reason.

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The story Simba told us over the course of that evening, was one of the most fascinating I had ever heard. It turned out that Scar had tricked Simba into thinking that he had killed his father and sent him into exhile. There Simba wandered the desert for many days before fainting from exhaustion; he awoke a few hours later to find that a meerkat and a warthog had saved his life.

I was amazed to hear that Simba had lived his life eating bugs and living a carefree lifestyle. It was hard to imagine how you can live so carefree after your father died but he seemed to get over his father fast.

For two years he lived with Timon and Pumbaa before Nala showed up one day. It was purely by accident too, Nala had been hungry and found Pumbaa to be a perfect meal. Simba saved him though before anything could go wrong. Simba explained to us how Nala had knocked him over the same way she did when she was a cub and that was how he realized it was her. Nala soon persuaded him to come home, he was a little reluctant at first but quickly changed his mind and journeyed with her to help rid Scar's terrible rule.

Once Simba's story ended, we told him all that had happened while he was away, from Amari's death, to the drying up of the pride lands, to Tahir's failed attempt at trying to save the pride. Simba could not believe he had missed so much and wished he had not listened to Scar's cruel mind games.

No one was more ecstatic at seeing Simba though than Sarabi. Almost a day after he returned, I could see the life return in her and for the first time in a long time, she smiled. She deserved to have Simba back, she had been through enough and it would probably still be hard for her if the new lion was still just some stranger we never met.

Now that Simba was back though, life would return to normal in a few months, the lands would flourish, the skies would be blue again, and my original routine as advisor would begin anew with a new king.

You are probably wondering what happened to the hyenas, well after they destroyed Scar they wandered the pride lands for about a day, watching Simba and wondering what he would do. It was not until the second day when Simba made the decision that it was time for them to return to their ways as outcasts in the outlands. They did not object, in fact Shenzi's last words to Simba were that she had plans to try to find a new place to rule, away from him and other lions where they could prosper on their own. Of course that land would probably turn into this one in a few years.

We were all still glad that they left though now we did not have to worry about cubs getting hurt or them invading every week for no reason.

It was three days after Simba returned though that things seemed to be quieter. I had spent most of my first two days trying to fix my home but sadly it was a wreck and there was no way I could fix it. The fire had destroyed part of the tree including where I slept so my home smelt terribly of ashes and smoke, there was a cave in on one end and it just did not feel safe any more. I decided to make my home in the next best place, the cave. There was actually a ledge at the entrance that I eyed many times while in that cave, it looked comfortable and I could easily hear important news from Simba if I needed to.

So once I got settled in my new nest with all the proper accoutrements, I decided it was best to meet the two new members of the pride that were personal assistants to Simba, Timon and Pumbaa. So far Simba had made them untouchable meaning if they were eaten then the lion would be punished, everyone abided by that rule.

I found them not far off from Pride Rock when I began my search for them, they were both enjoying a nice meal of termites from a termite mound that Pumbaa had broke apart to reveal the inside and both seemed to be gorging a little too much on the food. I knew I had to stop them or the food would be hard to find until the land finally cleared.

"Hold it right there you two, remember we are in a drought and food is hard to come by, and don't eat too much or we will starve," I said in my advisor like attitude.

"Hakuna Matata, feather brain, there's plenty for everyone, we even saw a few fly off so they would not get eaten they will be back," said Timon in an amusing voice.

"Hakuna Marata?" I said confused, I had never heard such a word in all my life.

"Hakuna Ma-tata, it means no worries," said Pumbaa as slowly as he could so I could understand.

"No worries, NO WORRIES, how can you not worry when the land is so dry and having to find food is a daily task?" I asked obliviously annoyed that they felt more important than everyone else.

"Calm down banana beak, can't you see those clouds coming our way, meaning rain will probably come today, they came yesterday as well which means they most likely will come to tomorrow, life will be back to normal so fast that you won't know it until it happens," said Timon who then put his arm around my shoulder, I quickly shoved it off.

"My name is Zazu and how do you know that that storm will come this way?" I asked

"Because, 'Zuza', haven't you felt the wind and the air feels fresher and like I said, we both have a sense of Hakuna Matata, so stop worrying, it only makes things feel worse," said Timon.

I stared at Timon for the longest time; it was amazing that a meerkat, the most skittish of the animal kingdom, believed in no worries. I did learn though that he had been an outcast of his clan so he must have not done a good job being a lookout or digging tunnels for his clan.

I guess the way I looked at Timon seemed to make me look puzzled so Timon thought it was a good idea to go into a song.

"How about I put it in words that even you would understand," said Timon who then started to dance while Pumbaa clicked his hooves together to create a wonderful rhythm that made me want to dance but I stood there and listened.

"Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase," said Timon who then turned to Pumbaa.

"Hakuna Matata, ain't no passing craze," said Pumbaa who then hit the side of a log creating a hollow sound but went perfect with the beat.

"It means no worries for the rest of your days," began Timon.

"It's a problem free, philosophy, Hakuna Matata," they both sang in unison.

"For the rest of your days? But what about watching out for predators, or where your next meal will be, or if you will be able to find your place to sleep?" I asked.

Timon sighed and looked at me like I had just ruined his day, but I did not care, I was making a point and I wanted to make sure they both understood it. "You know you're too tense, you really need lighten up and live a little, here let me show you," said Timon.

I stood there as I watched Timon grab some sticks and started to hit them against some rocks while Pumbaa bounced his butt in the air creating a rhythm that matched the sticks.

"Hakuna Matata is a motto, it's a motto that will change your life, it will keep you happy and make you forget about your past," sang Timon.

"It's better than having others run away from you," said Pumbaa who then let some gas pass from his buttocks, my goodness that was a terrible smell.

"And it's better than being miserable," said Timon who then added a new beat to the music by brushing some dry leaves together.

"Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful praise," they both sang.

"Hakuna Matata is having your own mud hole to yourself," said Pumbaa with a happy look on his face.

"Hakuna Matata is sharing a meal with your best bud," said Timon who then took a bite out of a termite and hugged Pumbaa tightly, causing yet another smell of gastronomical proportions. (A/N: I have no idea if gastronomical is a real word, it just sounds funny and I am sticking to it.)

"Hakuna Matata is having the freedom of….." Pumbaa started it but Timon quickly shushed him.

"Uh Pumbaa, no one wants to know more about your smell," said Timon.

"Oh sorry," Pumbaa said with a smile.

"But what about responsibility and dealing with the problems around you," I said.

Timon slapped his paw against his face and mumbled something before he turned to me. "Geeze Simba was right about one thing, you really are uptight, now tell me, when was the last time you had fun?" asked Timon.

I thought for a moment, it had been a while seeing as how I had a job and for the past year I was stuck in a cage making Scar happy, I knew it had to have been a while.

"When you get a job you don't have time for fun, you just work to help the pride deal with situations," I said.

Timon slapped his face again, I knew I was getting on his nerves but I did not care, he needed to be taught responsibility.

"I did not ask you about your job I asked when was the last time you had fun," he said through clenched teeth.

"The last time I remember was when I had just learned to fly with my brothers and sister," I said. It was true, I don't really remember if I have ever taken a day off in my life save for the time Ahadi died.

"And that was like what, one thousand years ago," said Timon in a sarcastic voice.

I growled at Timon who just stood his ground, I could sense that he was probably the same age as me though yet I probably had an older look than him since he had never done a damn thing in his entire life, save for raising Simba of course.

"Calm down Bird Brain, you know I think its time we took you out to have a little fun today, just me, you and Pumbaa here, what do you say to that?" asked Timon.

I thought for a moment. Most of my morning routine was already taken care of and Simba even told me that if he needed me he would roar for me. So I decided that it was best to go ahead and do it.

"Oh well why not, its better to get to know someone than not know them at all," I said as I pulled out my wing to offer to shake his paw.

"Then that's settled then, come with us," said Timon who gave my wing a quick shake before jumping on Pumbaa's back and heading toward what was currently left of the waterhole.

When we arrived at our destination, Pumbaa quickly jumped into the mud and happily rolled in it, while all the while some bubbles would pop up behind his rump and make a very wet pop. Timon just smiled and watched him before returning to me.

"See look at how much fun he is having, I tell ya, living the Hakuna Matata lifestyle is one of the best things you can do," said Timon.

"But I am not the kind of creature that rolls in mud like that; I enjoy clean water, that's clear and refreshing, besides it takes forever to get the mud of...argh!" I was then quickly pushed in by Timon and landed with a small squish straight into the mud.

I leapt up and looked over at Timon who was laughing hysterically. "You should have seen yourself, it was priceless ha ha aha," said Timon.

I ignored his comment and began my way out of the mud, quite a task when mud is very sticky and you can barely move around in it.

"So how did that feel?" asked Timon once I got to dry ground.

"Extremely squishy thank you, and I would like to recommend that you do not do that again, yuck it's going to take forever to get this off, let alone fly," I said.

I saw Timon roll his eyes before jumping in with Pumbaa. From there he got on the warthogs snout and jumped off it, he disappeared in the mud for quite some time, before finally popping up again and shaking his head causing mud to fly everywhere and on my feathers which I was trying to clean.

"So are you coming with us or not?" asked Timon.

"I already told you that I am not the kind of creature who wallows in mud," I said.

"Suit yourself," said Timon who then did another dive, this time from the top of Pumbaa's head.

He disappeared again and as soon as he went under, thunder began to rumble a few miles away.

"Oh dear it looks like a storm is coming," said Pumbaa.

"Yes it does, we better get back before it floods the place," I said.

"Okay but first I have to tell Timon," said Pumbaa who then began to dig for him in the mud while small drops of rain began falling around us.

But this rain was fast, before we could even get Timon all the way out, the rain was falling in buckets and there were already bigger puddles just a few feet away. This was going to be interesting getting back.

I tried to fly but the mud was so caked on that it weighed me down and so I had to make do with riding on Pumbaa next to Timon.

"Oy I spend a day with you teaching you all about Hakuna Matata and we get a downpour, talk about luck," said Timon.

"Hey at least it is quenching the ground," I said, even though a downpour like this could quickly turn into a flood.

"Yeah but this mud is getting harder for me to walk on, my hooves can barely move around in it," said Pumbaa who was actually walking a little slower than usual.

"Well when we get back, Pumbaa, we will give you a nice massage," said Timon.

"Oh I don't need a massage Timon, I need a makeover," said Pumbaa.

"Pumbaa I told you yesterday that this place does not have the petunias to make your hooves a nice red," said Timon.

This made me chuckle slightly, I could not imagine Pumbaa giving himself a makeover but of course those two were special.

"I tell you Pumbaa I'm glad Simba lives in that cave now we can just relax and stay out of the rain, the jungle did not…….."

Timon barely had time to finish when we suddenly felt ourselves falling down a steep slope. It had been raining so hard that Pumbaa had forgotten about the dry river bed near Pride Rock, and was now falling down it. The last thing I remember was hitting my head against Timon's and quickly blacking out.

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A/N: Well that did not end the way I had planned it, oh well at least we got a few laughs in. Hope you liked that cliffhanger; it will be interesting to see how the next chapter will be since I did not plan this. Oh well I will think of something when business is slow at work. Well I hope you all have a great week and I will update when I can. 


	28. Flight for Survival

Well guys another chapter for your enjoyment, I plan to make this one with a little bit of action and a little bit of seriousness. So I hope you all like it. Yeah that's my authors note, short huh?

Oh wait one more thing; I think that last chapter was the last time Zazu looses consciousness, but we will have to find out, I keep adding new chapters and stuff and this story keeps getting longer, its crazy. Well let me start this before you all go crazy.

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"Zazu, wake up!"

I could hear Timon call to me after what seemed like a second later and slowly I opened my eyes to find the meerkat standing above me while heavy rain fell around us, he looked quite worried. I gave a groan and tried to stand up but my wings instantly sank into the wet mud.

I solved that problem a second later though by leaning against a rock and pulling myself up, Timon waited until I was sitting up before checking on me.

"You okay?" he asked.

I felt around my body to make sure nothing was broken, luckily I was fine, just a slight bump to the head. "Yeah I think I'm okay, how about you?" I asked.

"I think I broke my arm," said Timon who then showed me his arm which he could barely move and when he tried, the pain was so great that he cried out and held onto his arm tightly.

"Oh dear, hopefully Rafiki can fix that, how about Pumbaa, is he okay?" I asked.

"He's over there in the mud, he received a nasty cut to his side and he thinks he broke a leg," said Timon.

"Oh my and we are in a river bed, and with the rate this rain is falling, we need to get out of here quickly, I've seen this place flood fast," I said.

"How are we going to get him out, if my arm is broken and both of us are too small to push him?" asked Timon.

"Teamwork and perseverance," I said as I walked slowly over to Pumbaa who was lying on his side and looked like he was in a lot of pain.

"Pumbaa we need to get out of here, it might flood soon and we don't want to be stuck in it," said Timon who patted his friend on the snout.

"I can't Timon, my leg hurts, I can never make it up that hill," said Pumbaa

"Can you at least try and see?" I asked.

Pumbaa gave a quick grunt and stood up. He sat there for a moment; looking up at the steep slope that was our only way out and then gave the most pathetic pout I have ever seen any one give me. I could not take any of it and gave him a stern stare, that was enough for him to change his mind.

Slowly he limped toward the slope, wincing from the pain as he went along, for the first time I saw the injury on his side, it was bleeding freely and it looked like it might have been deep, it made me wonder what he had run into to get such an injury.

But that did not matter at the moment, we had to get out. Slowly Pumbaa climbed up the steep slope, grunting with all his might and slipping from time to time from the mud. Timon and I stood beside him, cheering him on. But the encouragement was still not enough and once we reached halfway, Pumbaa slipped and slowly let himself fall back down to the bottom into a pool of mud, where he lay and began to whimper. Timon and I ran back down to check on him.

"Pumbaa come on, it's only a little slope, you'll reach the top in no time," said Timon.

"I can't Timon, the pain is too great, just leave me here," said Pumbaa.

I could not believe that such a carefree warthog would say such a thing, I had to encourage him, the thought of seeing him float away and drown was not a pretty thought and I knew Simba would be devastated.

"Are you telling me that when something bad goes wrong you give up just like that? Well if that's the case then you are lucky to have not have lived when Scar was king. I have been through worse than this and every time something bad happens I kept hoping for something good to come along and change it, that's what you need to do. Climb that slope like it is only a little hill and then one day you will learn to conquer mountains," I told him.

Pumbaa looked at me and then at Timon who remained speechless after my little talk with him. Without a word Timon encouraged him to climb back up the slope, Pumbaa smiled at him and tried again this time with all the strength he could muster.

But his strength could not stop what was coming next. We finally reached the top after struggling for nearly an hour. No matter how many times he slipped or fell from the pain of his leg, he would not give up. I thought he would though when we saw something truly frightening.

Timon was the first to see it; he was behind Pumbaa helping him get to the top of the slope by pushing his back legs toward the top while I pulled him forward with all my might with my claws.

"Uh Zazu, is that normal?" he asked.

"Is what normal?" I asked.

"That," said Timon who pointed with his working arm toward the west.

I looked to see where he was pointing and saw a wave of white come toward us, I knew what it was and that was not good. The deluge had arrived and it was filling the river back to its normal form. Any minute now Pumbaa or Timon would be swept away if they did not hurry.

Pumbaa was the next to see it, he gave a loud squeal that rattled my eardrums and before I even tried to pull him up any more, I felt him pushing me back while he crawled as fast as he could to the top of the slope. When he finally made it, he collapsed to the ground, clearly exhausted from the excursion.

We both turned to Timon who was trying to hurry and join us. But he was in such a hurry that he tripped on a root and landed on his hurt arm. He cried out in pain and looked up at us with pain filled eyes and then at the huge wave coming toward him. Timon screamed and tried to get to us as fast as he could.

I decided I needed to save him and started to fly toward Timon, but the wave of water beat me to him and Timon was quickly grabbed by the dangerous wave and was gone with the blink of an eye.

"TIMON!" Pumbaa screamed while tears formed in his eyes after seeing his best friend get swept away.

I knew I had to save Timon, I was his only hope. Ignoring the caked on mud in my wings, I took flight and followed the raging river in search of Timon.

I did not have to go far though, I found him a few minutes later, leaning against a rock and trying to hold on while the water beat down on him hard. I knew he could not hold on much longer, I had to get him out of there.

"Timon grab my claws," I called out as I reached for him.

Timon opened his eyes and looked up at me; he looked terribly worn out and weakened by the rush of the water.

"I can't the current is too strong," he cried.

"You can do this Timon, I know you can," I said.

"It's too powerful, my strength is gone, I can barely breathe," said Timon.

"Timon remember what I said earlier, you can do any thing no matter how bad the outcome," I said.

Timon said nothing but let go of the rock, he quickly began to sink under and I knew I had to get him and fast. His arm stuck out of the water so I grabbed it as tightly as I could and pulled him out of the water and back to where Pumbaa was waiting for him.

Timon was heavy but I did not care, it was only a few feet any way. And when I returned with Timon, Pumbaa, who was still lying down from his ordeal, jumped up with happiness and pain since he forgot he had a hurt leg.

I set Timon down while Pumbaa limped over to him with worried eyes. Timon did not move but lay where I had set him, his fur soaked to the bone. At first we both thought he was dead until I saw his chest slowly rise.

"Is he okay?" asked Pumbaa who looked like he was about to cry.

"I don't know, he's breathing though, that's a good sign. Stay here and keep him warm and safe while I get Rafiki," I said

Without a word I flew off towards Rafiki's tree, hoping he was home and that he would help Timon and Pumbaa. The rain still continued to fall heavily as I flew, but I did not care, Timon's life was in danger.

I soon reached the tree and was happy to notice that Rafiki was home, painting a drawing of a young zebra next to its mother, hopefully his painting told of a prosperous kingdom soon, but I did not care about that now.

"Rafiki, I need your help," I said.

"What happened Zazu?" he asked.

"Timon and Pumbaa fell into the river bank and both are hurt, Timon is in worse shape though because he was swept away but I saved him but he is not responding," I said.

Rafiki said nothing but quickly grabbed his stick and ran with me as fast as he could toward Timon and Pumbaa.

We reached the two friends in no time; Pumbaa was lying beside Timon and crying I could tell that he was worried. When he saw Rafiki come over he jumped up and started to cry.

"Oh Rafiki, I'm so worried about Timon, he hasn't responded and I don't want to loose him," said Pumbaa who then started to cry so hard that I thought he was going to create a flood with his own tears.

"Shhh Pumbaa it will be okay, Timon is still alive but I will not check on him out in this rain, he is drenched enough, let's head back to Pride Rock. You think you can make it the whole way?" asked Rafiki.

"I'll try," said Pumbaa with a whimper.

Rafiki just nodded and cradled Timon in one of his arms while he balanced himself with the other and without a sound, he headed toward Pride Rock. Pumbaa followed behind him, walking on three legs while hold his other one up. I flew behind to make sure everything was okay.

We soon reached Pride Rock where Simba and the rest of the pride happily greeted us, glad that we finally came home and were out of the rain. I saw Simba give a big warm smile but it quickly faded away when he saw Timon's lifeless form in Rafiki's arm.

"Oh no what happened?" asked Simba.

"He fell into the river when it was still dry and then was almost killed when the deluge arrived, I saved him though," I said.

"Will he be okay Rafiki?" asked Simba worriedly.

"I don't know, I have to check on him, but let me clean up Pumbaa first since he has the least injuries," said Rafiki who then set Timon down carefully nearby while he began to mix some herbs to help clean the wound on Pumbaa's side. Pumbaa grunted in pain as Rafiki applied the herb on him, but he remained still until Rafiki finished.

"There you go, the wound will heal in a few days, its not too deep so you won't have a scar, now let me see your leg," said Rafiki.

Pumbaa lifted his injured leg while Rafiki touched it. Pumbaa winced when Rafiki touched a tender spot. Rafiki continued to touch it for quite a while until he made his diagnosis.

"It's not broken, it looks like you only sprained it, but I would recommend that you stay off the leg for a few days, let it heal, then you will be as right as rain," said Rafiki who then set Pumbaa's leg down carefully.

"Thanks Rafiki," said Pumbaa.

Rafiki smiled and then turned to Timon who still remained motionless. Rafiki touched his injured arm and quickly shook his head sadly.

"It's definitely broken, its going to be a while before it heals too," said Rafiki slung the injured arm with a leaf.

Once he was finished with Timon's arm he felt around for any more broken bones while I told the whole story to Simba who was very grateful that I rescued him out of the raging river. Rafiki frowned after he was finished with Timon, it did not look good.

"He has two broken ribs, my healing herbs are back at the tree and because broken ribs are so serious I'm going to have to let him spend a few days with me in the tree just in case he has trouble breathing and I will know what to do," said Rafiki.

"So is he going to be alright?" asked Pumbaa who still had tears in his eyes, I could tell that they had been friends for a very long time.

"I won't know until tomorrow, but there is a seventy percent chance that he will be okay. Its going to be a while before he can go about his normal routine so don't be too rough on him," said Rafiki.

I saw Simba frown at the thought of not being able to see Timon for a few days or really talk to him since I knew it would be a while before he returned to his normal annoying self.

"Thank you for your help Rafiki, once again you are a lifesaver," said Simba.

"It's a shaman's duty to help those in need, I will return in the morning with the prognoses on Timon's health," said Rafiki.

Simba just nodded and watched as Rafiki left the cave with Timon cradled in his arm once again. He then gave a big sigh when Rafiki was out of sight.

"If any one needs me I will be at the top of Pride Rock," he said in a sad voice.

None of the lionesses said anything but watched as Simba sadly exited the cave and went outside where the rain had finally let up and was only falling lightly. I knew what happened to Timon scared him and I knew he needed time alone, to cry his fears away.

"Thanks for doing all you could Zazu," said Pumbaa who limped over to me with the saddest face he had ever given.

I just looked at Pumbaa who then began to cry as he bent over and put his enormously large head on my shoulder. I nearly fell back from the weight but I remained firm and patted his back while tears fell on me.

"Hakuna Matata Pumbaa," I said. I was surprised I even said that.

Pumbaa just whimpered while tears fell down his face and then down my back. It felt weird but after a few minutes, I got used to it. In fact I was glad I was the shoulder someone had to lean on when they were sad.

After a few minutes, Pumbaa sat up and looked at me with sad eyes.

"It'll be okay Pumbaa, Timon is not going to die he will just be very tired for a few days and I will bet he will need all the help he will need from you," I said.

Pumbaa just nodded and then turned around and limped over to the corner he and Timon had made home, now tonight he would be alone for the first time in years.

It was quiet in the cave for a few minutes, until the lionesses decided to mingle and talk, no one looked really worried since they did not know Timon very well, and I accepted that though I felt I needed to comfort Simba.

I flew out of the cave and to the top of Pride Rock where I found Simba lying down on the edge watching the sun slowly set now that the clouds had dispersed and were creating a lovely red and purple color.

I flew down beside Simba who did not turn to me but just sighed and continued to stare at the horizon.

"You okay Simba?" I asked.

"Yes Zazu I am fine, I just needed to come up here and think, seeing Timon that way scared me," said Simba.

"Why did it scare you sir?" I asked. I had to talk to him, it was the first time I really did since he returned from his exile and I wanted to get to know the adult Simba.

"Because I almost lost another father," said Simba.

I stared at Simba in shock, could it be? Timon? A father figure to Simba? I was not expecting this.

"Timon's your father figure?" I asked.

"Yeah, he took care of me when I lived with him and Pumbaa. He was the one who made sure I did not get into too much trouble and he was the one who comforted me when I was feeling down. If you did not save him today I would have lost another father, one who almost equaled my real one, then my life would have been even more shattered" said Simba.

"But at least your mother is still around for you, and Nala, and the rest of the pride," I said.

"Yeah true, but then there's Zira," said Simba.

"Oh I know how Zira is," I said remembering how often she would pick on the females just because she was queen.

"But I don't think you have been around when all the other lionesses are out hunting, she taunts me and says that the next heir will be my doom while her sick cub just lies there helplessly," said Simba.

"Oh don't let her get you down, if she does try anything just banish her. And I must warn you, she has followers too, they act like they are with you but they are really against you," I said.

Simba just nodded, I could tell that this sudden responsibility as king was making him nervous.

"I suddenly feel so hopeless," said Simba.

"Why do you feel that way?" I asked.

"Well you told me that Zira has followers, I don't know who they are and I don't want to be suspicious of all of them. And if you show me who they are then I will watch them every second. Then tensions will be high and the pride will be upset, that's not how my father made the pride," said Simba.

"But you are still new at this; I am sure your father made mistakes as well. Don't loose hope. Remember we were through some of the worst times when Scar was here and if we lost hope we would have all been dead by now, I know I would have been," I said.

"I'm glad I saved you all then, I just hope I can do as well as a job as my father did. Not the best but close enough," said Simba.

As the sun slowly sunk down to the west, the colors began to fade and the day turned into night. It was time for the great kings to come out and watch over everyone, to protect the pride from any danger that could happen in the darkness. From the top of Pride Rock it was just Simba and I watching and waiting to see the first star. I then said my last word of encouragement to Simba before we descended back down to the cave.

"Everything is going to be okay."

* * *

A/N: Yay I finished this chapter, hope you all liked it. I actually wrote half of it in one night and finally told myself to go to bed at one so I could wake up to go to work in the morning; yeah I had fun with this chapter. And don't worry to all you Timon fans, he is still in the story, I am not changing anything, except for the fact that Zazu will get a girlfriend soon, she was actually going to be in Simba's Pride but they for some reason took her out. Well any way please review and have a nice day. 


	29. Binti

Hmmm what's to say here other than narf and egad. Hmmm I wonder if I should bring out my muse Zorro, nah he's too annoying. Oh yes I know what to say and its kinda sad. Space Spy, I am really glad your grandparents are going to be moving down here and that you might come in January, the sad thing is though, I am leaving on the 3rd of January. That is when my internship is completed and I head back to Colorado. Maybe one day I will work there again though, I will have to see where my mind takes me.

Oh yeah and nothing is more hilarious when a drunk guy whose name is really Simba sings Hakuna Matata for no reason. Okay I better start now.

* * *

It had been three weeks since Simba had returned home and the land was slowly returning back to normal. New animals began to arrive everyday and after the first week the pride had their first successful kill of a wildebeest and after gorging happily on it, they all relaxed in the sun until the afternoon rains came to replenish the ground. I could see a few green leaves start to grow on the once dead trees and in some places; the grass was starting to grow. We all knew that in a few months time, the land would be so healthy that you would never know that a tyrant ruler ruled before King Simba.

The land was not the only thing that was recovering nicely. Rafiki returned the next morning after the fiasco at the river bed happy to report that Timon would recover though it would be about a month before he did so. Timon was brought home three days later looking very weak and tired; Rafiki had wrapped his broken arm with tree bark and set it next to his ribs. It was an easier way to keep him from feeling too much pain though I could tell that he still felt pretty bad.

For about a week he barely left the cave and when he did he usually got a ride from Pumbaa so he could go out and get a drink or relieve himself. Sometimes I accompanied them; sometimes they just showed up when I was doing my duties.

I remember one day in particular when I was over at the waterhole which was about half full now thanks to the wonderful rain we had been having. I was watching as a few antelope walked over for a drink but were instantly alert when they saw a lone figure heading toward the waterhole. For a minute they stood still until they realized that it was only Pumbaa and that he was no threat so they continued drinking in peace.

Timon was sitting on top of his head and ready to get off and get a drink. Once Pumbaa was close enough, he lay down and let Timon off. Timon slid off as carefully as he could and walked slowly over to the water for a drink.

I decided to go down there and join them since I had nothing better to do and to check up on Timon.

"Good morning you two, sleep well?" I asked.

"Not really, it's hard to sleep when you can't move your arm, I hope this thing heals fast, I feel so useless sometimes," said Timon who then sat down and put his feet in the water to cool down.

"Yes I hear that takes some getting used to but look on the bright side, you probably only have one or two more weeks left," I said.

Timon gave a deep sigh and then winced; his ribs were still very tender and would often forget that they were until he breathed a little too hard.

"You were right about one thing Zazu, you cannot live a full Hakuna Matata lifestyle, that's impossible," said Timon.

I smiled, I was glad he was talking a little bit of sense; it must have been the herbs Rafiki gave him to keep the pain low.

"Yeah and I know I said this a million times but I was so worried about you," said Pumbaa.

"You really need to stop sounding like my mother Pumbaa," said Timon.

"Sorry," said Pumbaa sheepishly.

"Excuse me," said a voice behind me so low that I was the only one of the three to hear it.

I turned around to find a female hornbill standing there looking very nervous. I did not seem to notice though for at that instant I felt the meaning of the word love at first sight. She was a light blue color with some yellow on the top of her wings. She also had some red on her head, almost the color of Timon's but that was also a little lighter. I stared at her all googlely eyed for quite a while before she finally waved her wing in front of my face.

"Uh you okay?" she asked.

I shook my head to rid the feeling of love and to return to my normal routine of business but I seemed to fail at that instantly.

"Sorry, uh help may I how you. I mean you may I help how. Er what's up?" I asked clearly I was amazed by her beauty.

She giggled slightly before finally answering. "Is this the famous pride lands? Home of King Simba?" she asked.

"Why yes it is, uh what can I do for you?" I asked trying my hardest to sound helpful.

"Well I was wondering if this is a good home for hornbills as well, I hear it's a great place to live," she said.

"Why of course it is, if it was not good for hornbills I would not be here now would I?" I said as a joke but she did not seem to take it as a joke.

"No I guess not. I hope you don't mind if I live here though," she said.

"No not at all, I am the only one at the moment, my sister drops in from time to time to say hi, she did a few days ago so it might be a while before we see her again," I said as I remembered that my sister had come after a long time of not seeing her. She of course was very happy that she was no longer banished.

"Thank you very much then," she said before taking off.

But before she was far off I called back to her as loudly as I could. "Hey I never got your name, just in case I see you again," I yelled.

"It's Binti," she called back.

"Binti," I sighed, it was a lovely name that went with a lovely hornbill as herself. I had to meet her again.

"Hey Zazu, you okay?" asked Timon after I had been standing there for at least a minute.

I turned around and looked over at Timon and Pumbaa who both looked at me suspiciously. "Yes I am fine, it's just that I have never seen a creature more beautiful in all my life," I said.

Timon stared at me for one more second before bursting out laughing but had to quickly stop because of his injured ribs. Instead he just gave a quick chuckle.

"What I bet you have never been in love before," I said.

"As a matter of fact I have and that was why I was banished," said Timon who then climbed back up on Pumbaa and gave a quick tug of his ear. (A/N: Yes in case you were all wondering, I am using his banishment from the Timon and Pumbaa series. I'm not counting The Lion King 11/2 only because they changed the fight scene so much. I still love that movie though.)

"What did you do any way?" I asked as I flew with them back to Pride Rock.

"Well I fell in love with the king's daughter and wanted her to go out with me, so I abandoned my post and went to buy her gifts and to make myself look nice for her. When I began to head toward her home, all the meerkats were staring at me. I asked what was wrong and they told me what had happened. A snake had snuck into the back entrance and killed the king's daughter. I was banished instantly and left to live alone. Luckily I met Pumbaa and we have been friends ever since," said Timon.

"He did get accepted back into the colony after he found that the king's daughter was still alive and saved her life but he decided to stay with me," said Pumbaa.

"Hey I learned to live Hakuna Matata with you who could pass up a chance for a life like that, besides Tatiana did not really like me that much," said Timon.

I thought for a moment, it would be wonderful to get to know Binti more, where she came from, what she liked. Of course she would probably never like me and try to find someone else to fall in love with, I was fine with that but after years of being a bachelor the thought of having a mate was sounding quite nice.

I was so into my thoughts that I was back at Pride Rock in no time with no morning report and of course Simba was waiting for one. I practically flew by him still thinking about Binti when he called to me.

"Hey Zazu, any news?" he called out.

I turned around and stared at Simba who was looking at me worriedly. I quickly flew back and stood on his shoulder.

"Well anything I need to know about?" asked Simba.

"Uh truthfully sire I forgot about the morning report, I was kind of distracted," I said.

"Oh what happened?" asked Simba.

"I met another hornbill," I said sheepishly, my cheeks glowing with embarrassment.

"Oh a female?" asked Simba who was raising his eyebrows.

I nodded but said nothing; I really did have nothing to say. I was in love and Simba knew it.

"What's her name?" he asked.

"Binti," I replied.

"Does she like you?" asked Simba.

"She barely even knows I exist, she only wanted to ask me a question, I'm probably out of her life now," I said.

"Maybe you should go talk to her, get to know her more," said Simba.

"I want to but the last time I tired to talk I kept slurring my words, she was just so pretty," I said.

Simba gave a smirk and then patted my head. "Oh I bet you will see her again and then you will want to know all about her just like I did when I saw Nala again for the first time," he said.

"Well I hope so and I better get back to work, a king needs to know what's going on in his land," I said.

"You do that then, maybe you will also see her again," said Simba.

I said nothing but flew away from Pride Rock and through the pride lands hoping I would see her again but hoping that she wouldn't.

I did not see Binti again that day and on that same night I could not sleep, I kept tossing and turning and seeing her in my thoughts. Finally I just lay there and looked up at the ceiling of the den. I could hear the lion's soft breathing and Pumbaa moaning about grubs in his sleep. Timon looked like he finally found a comfortable position for him to sleep in as well and was quietly whimpering along with Pumbaa's moaning. The sounds of the cave were quite soothing and after a few hours of listening to the noises I finally drifted off to sleep.

Morning seemed to arrive fast though; I was quickly awakened by Simba who wanted me to go out on an early morning run to check on the situation of the land. It was better to do it early in the morning when all the animals were out, by the middle of the day, most would be in the shade resting and waiting for the evening sun to arrive.

I flew slowly through the land watching all the animals march to the spot they wanted to visit for the morning, everything seemed fine, the grass was getting slightly greener and new trees were springing up. In a year or two they would be large enough to create shade for other animals. It would be a wonderful thing to see.

I practically flew into her when I was watching a young giraffe play with its mother. She gasped with shock while I merely stared at her in shock.

"Oh dear I am so sorry," she said.

"No it's quite alright, I was not paying much attention to where I was going," I said.

We both hovered in midair for a moment, it felt quite awkward but I knew I had to make sure she was doing okay.

"So you like it here so far?" I asked after quite a long silence.

"Oh yes very much thank you, it's so peaceful," she said.

"I'm glad you like it, it will become even more beautiful than it is as time goes on, we were in a bad drought for quite a while because of a bad hyena infestation but everything is fine now," I said hoping to sound as welcoming as possible.

"Yes I heard about that," she said in a nervous voice, for some reason I could tell that she was really shy so I had to be helpful. Realizing that it was still early she probably had not had breakfast and it would be perfect to show her all the best places to eat.

"So have you had any breakfast this morning?" I asked.

"No, not yet I'm still looking for a good place to have breakfast or any type of meal, yesterday I had a really boring dinner of ants," said Binti.

"Then follow me, I will take you to one of my favorite places to eat in the morning, I bet it is full of food now that things are back to normal, it always has a nice selection after a rainy week," I said with enthusiasm in my voice hoping that she would join me.

"Sure why not, I am a little hungry," said Binti.

I knew the perfect place to take her. It was a hilly place near the waterhole, it was mainly worms but sometimes you could find a delicious beetle or two. I always liked it because it had a nice view of the waterhole while you ate and if you were early enough, you could watch the sun rise, we were too late for that.

We soon landed for the early morning breakfast where we quickly found that many others also had the same idea. I did not mind though, it was not too crowded and after a few minutes, we found the perfect spot that was far enough away so I could chat in private.

"Well here we are, take whatever you want, no limits," I said.

Binti said nothing and quickly grabbed a worm that was sticking out of the ground and ate it with great care. I could tell she was a slow eater, she did not like to scarf it down like I sometimes did, she must have come from a royal family or at least some sort like that.

"So where are you from?" I asked after I swallowed a worm down my throat.

"Oh many miles south of here," she said as she swallowed what was left of her worm and then grabbed another.

"What made you come out here?" I asked.

"I just needed to get away," she said.

"Away from what?" I asked.

"Oh complicated matters that someone I don't know really well should hear," she said in a polite voice but I could tell that question annoyed her. I think she had a secret and was too afraid to tell it yet, understandable.

"Sorry," I said rather sheepishly.

"No I should be sorry, I shouldn't sound so rude like that," she said.

"No your fine, I dove into a personal question too fast and I barely even know you, that kind of stuff should be told later when you know someone more," I said.

Binti just nodded and me and looked down at her claws. She seemed extremely shy and I knew I had to break the ice again.

"Oh I don't think I ever gave you my name did I?" I asked finally.

"No I don't think you did," said Binti.

"It's Zazu," I said.

"Well Zazu I must say that it has been a pleasure meeting you and I must say that this has been a very good breakfast, I haven't had a very good one in a while," she said.

"I'm glad you like it then, and I hope you like it here in the pride lands as well," I said.

"Me too," she said.

"Is there anything you would like to know at all?" I asked.

Binti stood there for a moment, holding a beetle that wiggled in her wing before she finally took a quick bite out of his head and then got an idea.

"Where is the best place to sleep, last night I slept in this one bush and it was not very comfortable and I heard too many noises," she said.

"Well the acacia trees are usually the best bet; most of them have old homes in them that no one lives in any more. You can build a nest inside of them and you will feel perfectly safe. I had a home like that once but it was destroyed by the fire so I had to move in with the lions," I said. As soon as I said lions though I remembered Simba.

"Oh dear, I forgot about Simba, I was supposed to report to him about how the land was, you want to come with me and meet him?" I asked.

"Oh no thanks, I would rather go find a home like you said, I bet there are tons out there and I like to make it nice before I go to bed at night," said Binti.

"Alright then, some other time perhaps?' I asked.

"If that's okay with you," said Binti.

"That is perfectly fine," I said.

"Well I guess I will see you later then," said Binti.

"And I you," I said.

In an instant, Binti flew away toward some distant trees; I stood there watching her wondering why she was so shy for someone so pretty as her. Hopefully I would find out one day and maybe she could warm up enough to actually like me. But that was too far ahead, I had to gain her trust first. I then began my flight back to Pride Rock, still thinking about Binti and hoping that I would see her again.

* * *

A/N: I have a million reasons why this chapter took so long to be updated. One of them is because I went to about three parties this week. I don't think I am cut out for parties especially when there is dirty dancing involved, oh no. Then I spent the weekend with my grandmother, her bed was so nice that I just went to bed and slept until I felt like getting up, plus I had some homework that needed to be done. So yeah those are my top excuses. Any questions? LOL Any way, I hope you all like Binti. That was her original name for Simba's Pride, but I don't know what she originally looked like so I borrowed the colors off of that really pretty costume they use for that one girl who pretends to be a bird in that Can You Feel the Love Tonight sequence at The Festival of the Lion King in Animal Kingdom. Any way please review and I will see you all when update again, not sure when that will happen hopefully by Monday though. See ya. 


	30. Kopa

The room is silent for a moment, only a white light in shape of a circle is seen until a white wolf enters the room looking slightly annoyed yet angry. He then begins to speak.

Wolf: Hello I am Snowshoe, one of narfgirls muses, the other being Zorro the fox but he's a little too weird when it comes to telling you all about flamers or reviewers for that matter, if many of you read "Surviving the Stampede" you know what I am talking about. That's why he is stuffed in a box at the moment in narfgirls closet, don't worry he has a Zazu pin from Disney world to keep him happy. Any way as many of you are aware we have a stuck up flamer in our midst's, his name is Troy Wong or something to that nature, please pay no heed to him. He thinks he is better than everyone else and personally people who think they are better than everyone else are usually the ones who have no life and just want attention. Plus he thinks we are all children because we cannot write the way he writes, then what is he? He's only 11, that's a child's age. If he was a wolf he would be a two year old and still be reprimanded by his mother and father, probably the lowest of the pack too, eating last and trying to get attention, I know I would do that to him, since I was an alpha of my pack and I did not take kindly to those who thought they were better than others. Whoever told him he was an adult was just humoring him. So please when he reviews either tell him to F off or report him to administration if he continues the way he is acting.

Zorro: Snowshoe made a swear!

Snowshoe: I thought I banished you to the box in the closet. And I did not swear I said F which is totally different to the word.

Zorro: Oh well close enough, but I got out because the box was too small and I exploded inside of it.

Snowshoe: Um okay then. Now leave please so I can finish my ultimatum.

Zorro: Ultimate tomato! Where?

Snowshoe: (Slaps head) Ultimatum, it means to deliver a report.

Zorro: Oh pooey I wanted a tomato.

Snowshoe: Any way in short, this is for you Troy Wong. (Holds up middle claw)

Zorro: I would do that but I lost my middle claw in a terrible accident to a trap. It's an interesting story really it happened in the winter of 99 or was it 2000? I forget which but any way. I was wandering around with my friend Scruffy when…..

Snowshoe: (covers Zorro's mouth) Now that I got that out of my system enjoy the chapter.

Chapter starts while you hear Zorro trying to talk in the background.

* * *

The months went by and like I had said the pride lands flourished once again. Simba's new role as king began to show once he handled all the problems that happened and the creatures of the pride lands respected their new king almost like they did Mufasa. I of course knew that Simba would never be like Mufasa but I would never tell him that, I did not want to hurt his feelings, he was already getting bad treatment like that from Zira who taunted him every day while Nuka tried to get attention from her but failed miserably.

I felt terrible for that poor cub; he did not deserve a mother like that. He was so scraggly and he never seemed to have the right weight in himself to be a healthy cub. What was worse was that Zira left him alone all the time while he wandered around by himself always looking for someone to play with, even Sarabi who would often try to take care of him behind Zira's back.

Of course Nuka would not be alone for long, Nala was expecting, a new heir to the pride would be born soon. I would often find the two lying together in the grass enjoying the morning sun, Nala's stomach bulged and sometimes I thought I saw something kick insider her. They always looked so peaceful.

"Don't they look happy together?" I remember asking Binti one morning after having a wonderful breakfast together. She was becoming less shy and enjoyed talking to me all the time, yet she never told me about her past. I was okay with that, she would probably tell me eventually, I just had to give her time.

"Yeah, he has a big burden talking care of the kingdom but just wait when the child is born, it will be an even bigger burden," said Binti.

"Yeah but it will be worth it, the child will grow and know all the things it needs to know and maybe one day it will be ruler of this land," I said.

"Yeah it will be fun watching the child grow as well," said Binti.

I only nodded and watched them; Simba jumped upright for a second and looked around. All was quiet in the savannah so he gave a huge yawn and plopped back down next to Nala. It made me wonder what it would be like to be expecting, too bad Binti did not seem to be interested in that kind of thing, but I decided to find out.

"Not to sound personal or anything but would you ever want children?" I asked.

Binti stared at me then gave a small smirk before replying. "Hmm maybe, of course I would not be able to do much seeing as how I would take care of them every day and make sure they make it through life okay. The pain would be too much though if I probably lost one, that happened to my mother when I lost three of my siblings," said Binti.

"Oh my, what happened?" I asked.

"One was sick from the start so he only lived for about two days, another fell out of the nest and died on impact, the other was killed by a cheetah after we were playing together, we weren't paying attention," said Binti.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"It's okay, its part of that circle of life," said Binti.

I smiled at her. I had brought her to meet Rafiki a few weeks ago. They both had a private talk about her past, she promised she would tell me one day but I knew it was best for her to take her time, we both did not know everything about each other. I knew Rafiki gave her the lecture about the circle of life.

I then stretched my wings and then fluffed my feathers before I finally decided to go about my morning routine.

"Well I guess I am off for the day, take care now and I will see you later," I said.

"See you later," was all she said.

I then flew off to inspect the land. Like always though I looked behind me to see what Binti was doing, she was still watching me from the tree, she did that often. I could tell she was also in love but like me was too afraid to ask the question of becoming mates. It was just not the right moment yet.

Like clockwork though Simba and Nala's cub was born. It was a male who they named Kopa. And like many heirs to the throne he was introduced to the pride lands by Rafiki the day after he was born. Creatures from all over came to see the ceremony that only lasted a few minutes. But that did not matter, seeing a new heir that would one day take over the pride lands was good because then you would see him grow over the months.

But they did not see Kopa grow as much as I did. As soon as he learned to run, that was what he was doing most of the time. Having adventures here and there, sometimes with Timon and Pumbaa, sometimes with Nuka, sometimes with Sarabi, or sometimes just by himself. I was amazed at how calm Simba was when Kopa was off on his own and would often tell me to just use Hakuna Matata because he would be home sooner or later.

He usually got into the most trouble when Timon and Pumbaa were around. I remember one day he came home ready to show Simba his new trick Pumbaa taught him. Let's just say the cave was quite smelly for a few hours after that fiasco. I was surprised Simba did not discipline him though; he would only laugh and say that boys would be boys.

Kopa loved Sarabi though but that was because Sarabi always gave him special treats when Simba was not looking, something grandmothers love to do. Usually it was a mouse sometimes a lizard which he would then paw at and then pull at the tail until it snapped off. I was so glad that lizards could grow their tails back.

When Kopa was with Nuka though it was quite different, they seemed to fight more than anything else but that was because Nuka was older than Kopa and felt that he could boss the little guy around.

I remember having to break up one argument one day because it was actually getting quite violent. I found the two near pride rock, biting each other and kicking up dust. It almost looked like a dust devil had come in.

I quickly flew down and stopped them by yelling both of their names and both of them looked up at me, dirty and scratched in several places.

"He started it," said Kopa.

"Did not," said Nuka.

"Did too," said Kopa.

"Did not," said Nuka.

"Enough!" I yelled. Both shut up while I began to speak.

"Now what will your parents say when they saw you like this?" I asked.

"Uh well I bet dad will just say, 'good show son, that shows you will be a tough lion when you grow up'" said Kopa who tried to sound the best he could like Simba, but of course that did not work.

I just shook my head, Simba really needed to reprimand him sometimes.

"Well my mother would not care what I did," said Nuka who puffed out his chest like it was the greatest thing in the world

"And for that I am truly sorry, no wonder you are so scrawny," I said.

Nuka looked at himself and then looked confusingly at me. "Why's that?" he asked.

"Because your mother never cares for you, when was the last time you had a bath from her?" I asked.

"Uh about a week ago, she told me my hair clumps too much to give me a bath," said Nuka.

"Well maybe if she did clean you more than she did that would not happen," I said.

"Hey baths aren't that great any way," said Kopa.

"Yeah so there Mr. Stinkybeak," said Nuka who then stuck his tongue out at me.

Kopa laughed, I just held my ground. I would try to reprimand them but I was not their father so they would not listen to me, I already learned that after the Simba and Nala fiasco.

"I can take care of myself any ways and when I grow up I will be the advisor to my brother and you will be eaten," said Nuka.

I stood my ground, they were harsh words from a cub but of course he got that from his mother who probably told him. I was told by Simba that Zira seemed to be fatter than usual; she was probably pregnant now, probably from a rogue that passed here a few months ago.

"Ha ha I could see it now, Zazu on a stick," said Kopa.

"No it will be more like Zazu flambé," said Nuka.

The two cubs laughed. It was amazing how cubs could forget their differences in a blink of an eye and become friends again. Though for some reason I did not trust Nuka. I told that to Simba but he only dismissed me and said that Nuka was harmless and that the hate from Zira had not shown. I was not too sure about that but I would watch and make sure that Nuka did not do any serious harm on Kopa.

The two then walked away laughing with more ideas on how to cook me. I decided to return to my duties. Hopefully I would be able to talk to Simba about his son and the way he acted, and hopefully something could be done about it.

* * *

A/N: Well there's chapter 30, nothing special about it. Just thought it would be nice to meet Nuka and Kopa.It's not that great, its probably bad since that's what my story is.But I will just keep writingjust to give me something to do and see how many more flames I get. Well have a nice week. 


	31. Banished

Okay so, Jello Shots don't work with me, nothing is more fun than having a bad headache and wanting to hug the toilet. NOT! And I only had less than a half of that shot. Man I would hate to see what happens if I had more than one beer. Any way enough of my rambling on with the chapter.

* * *

A few months passed and Kopa grew into a handsome young cub who was very much like Simba was when he was a cub. He always wanted to play and was always in trouble. Simba finally talked to him about it one night and I knew that on that same night he gave his son the great kings of the past lecture.

After that talk, Simba felt that Kopa needed a new playmate besides Nuka who was getting a little too old for Kopa to play with. In fact, in a few months time, he would be kicked out of the pride for being a threat to the king. So Simba and Nala made a decision to have another child, Kopa would have a brother or sister in a few months time.

But sadly Kopa would not be around when the new cub would be born. It was a few weeks before Nala's due date and I was awakened by Nuka who was wandering the cave looking very lost and disoriented. He woke every pride member with his cries and Simba was especially angry with him.

"What's wrong Nuka?" asked Simba as he stood up and walked toward the young cub who was shaking and crying while looking fearfully up at Simba.

"I don't know where Mom is, I fell asleep with her right there and then I woke up to find her gone, usually she is always there when I wake up," said Nuka.

"Don't worry Nuka, she's probably off getting you a treat for being so good yesterday," said Sarabi who now came up and nuzzled him.

"No I don't think so, she told me she could not hunt right now because she did not want my brother to get hurt," said Nuka as he pushed Sarabi aside but never keeping his eyes off Simba.

I then saw Simba and Nala look at each other worriedly. I could tell that they knew that Zira had given birth somewhere, but where.

"Zazu, take Nuka with you and find Zira, she is probably not far," said Simba.

"Yes sir, come Nuka," I said as I flew out of the cave, Nuka trailing behind me. I had a hunch where she might be and that was where I was heading.

Sure enough I found her hiding in the cave behind pride rock, the place where Scar used to live when Mufasa ruled. There she lay and beside her were two cubs, one a dark brown color, the other a golden brown. Both showed their newborn cub spots and both were at their mother with ravenous appetites. I showed her to Nuka who ran up to her.

"Mom!" he cried out happily.

But at that instant, Zira roared at him causing him to back up and shake with fright.

"You piece of dirt, can't you see that I am nursing your brother and sister, I don't have time for you any more," she said with such hate that it almost made me cry, Nuka did not deserve a mother like that.

"But mom you were not there when I woke up this morning, it scared me," said Nuka with tears still in his eyes.

"That's because I was giving birth to these two, I cannot be in that place when there are hundreds of other lionesses surrounding me," said Zira.

"I'm sorry mom," said Nuka quietly.

Zira just growled and then cleaned the dark cub while Nuka sadly watched. I could tell his mothers love for him was now gone and that the cub who would overthrow Simba was now born to be loved more than any one.

"Do you want me to catch you anything?" asked Nuka.

"No, Sadura here has already helped me; in fact don't you think its time for you to go play with Kopa. I bet he is expecting you," said Zira with a smirk and then looked up at me with a very suspicious look.

Nuka gave a happy grin, as if all his sorrows disappeared in an instant knowing he cold play with Kopa. But I thought they did not like each other that much, I guess playing with Kopa was a lot better than feeling the wrath of a mother.

"Okay mom I will," said Nuka happily and ran out as fast as he could. I followed him back to Pride Rock. He did not go far though when he saw Kopa walking in the distance.

"Hey Kopa, where are you going?" he asked as he ran happily toward the young prince.

"I promised Timon and Pumbaa that I would spend a day with them at the waterhole, they want to teach me how to make bubbles," said Kopa with a happy grin.

"Oh I thought we should play today besides I have something to show you that is cooler than any old waterhole," said Nuka.

"Oh what?" asked Kopa.

"Oh you'll see, it's kinda hard to explain any way," said Nuka.

Kopa stood there for a moment, pondering on whether or not he should play with Timon and Pumbaa or with Nuka. For some reason Nuka won out.

"Okay I will go with you, I can play with Timon and Pumbaa any day any way," said Kopa who then followed Nuka into the brush. I thought about following them but I had to tell Simba what I saw and flew into the cave to find him.

I found Simba talking with Nala and both looked over at me when I flew in with my report.

"So did you find her?" asked Simba.

"Yes I did, she is behind Pride Rock, though I am afraid that her cub has been born," I said.

Simba sighed. I knew that keeping an eye on the betrayer was hard but he had been doing it for nearly a year now and so far he was loosing his patience.

"I will look into it, but first it is time for the morning report, I will see you later in the day," said Simba.

"Yes sir," I said and then flew off into the pride lands.

The morning report was the same business as usual. Some complaint about someone here and there and other things I was used to addressing with to the king.

I decided after my royal business to go out and search for Binti. I wanted to tell her about Zira and the new cub so she could help me watch her and make sure she was not plotting. I did not have to go far though because Binti found me. Or really just ran into me and nearly knocked the wind out of me. I noticed that she looked very worried and that she seemed to have been flying fast to find me for she was breathing quite heavily. I directed her to a tree branch to let her get her breath back and to find out what happened.

"What's wrong?" I asked once we got settled on the tree branch.

"Oh Zazu it was horrible," she said between breaths.

"What was?" I asked.

"I did not even see what was happening until it was too late. First Nuka was showing Kopa this pile of logs and then all of a sudden Leza jumps out and…oh Zazu it was so horrible," said Binti with tear filled eyes.

I knew something bad happened when she mentioned Leza; she was one of Zira's followers. Never really around much, spent most of her time in the outlands believing that Simba was a false king.

"What happened, please tell me," I said.

"Oh Zazu, she killed Kopa," said Binti.

For a minute I stood there in shock, not sure what to do. It did not sound believable since I of course had not seen it for myself, but Binti never lied and I trusted her.

"Where did you say this happened?" I asked.

"Over by that river that has many logs lying around," said Binti.

"I know where that is, go get Simba and tell him what happened, I will go find Kopa, maybe he is okay," I said with hope filled eyes. Though I doubted that Kopa was going to be alright.

Binti just nodded and flew toward Pride Rock while I headed toward the river. Along the way I saw Nuka and Leza standing behind some bushes but I did not have time to investigate what they were doing, I had to find Kopa.

When I found him though I wish I hadn't. He way lying a few inches from the logs looking like he was sleeping if it was not for the blood that covered his golden fur. I could not believe what Leza had done especially to a cub she barely knew. I could barely even look at Kopa without turning away in disgust.

I waited for a long time near the body, hoping Simba would come soon. I did not feel comfortable being alone and I knew the enemy was most likely watching me. He finally arrived though only about a half an hour later, with Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, Binti and Rafiki.

"Where is he?" asked Simba in a worried voice.

I pointed sadly with my wing at his son's final resting place and slowly Simba walked over to investigate. As soon as his eyes made contact with Kopa he literally fell to the ground and began to cry uncontrollably. Nala was about to look when Rafiki held her back and shook his head.

"A mother should never see a gruesome death," he said.

Nala only nodded and then began to weep, her firstborn was now dead. I could tell that she now had to worry about what the future held for the next cub that was to be born.

I looked over at Timon and Pumbaa who had the bravery of looking at what was left of Kopa and both looked like they were sick to their stomachs. They now knew that teaching Kopa about Hakuna Matata was now over.

Binti stood beside me with worried eyes, she had witnessed the horrible death and I could sense that it gave her quite a shock. I could only hug her while Simba and Nala mourned.

For a long time there was silence until Simba finally looked up at us and began to speak while holding back tears.

"Rafiki, please bury my son at Pride Rock while I have a meeting with Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, my mother, Sarafina, Binti, and Zazu," he said.

"Yes sire," said Rafiki sadly.

Simba nodded and motioned for us to follow him back to pride rock where I knew we would have a long and very tiresome meeting that I knew was to discuss the fate of Zira.

When we reached Pride Rock, the lionesses were standing nearby wondering what had happened but Simba did not say anything. He only nodded sadly to them and motioned for Sarabi and Sarafina to join him in the cave. The two followed wondering what had happened.

Once we entered the cave, Simba stood at the place where he usually slept and looked down at us, his eyes were all watery but he remained strong and began to speak.

"As some of you are aware, my son was killed today by a member of my pride," began Simba. His voice was shaky as he held back the tears but that did not stop one from falling down his cheek and onto the hard rock.

"What! Kopa's dead! Who did it and why?" asked Sarabi who looked at his son with worried eyes. The same kind I remember seeing those years ago when she found Mufasa at the bottom of the gorge.

"Yes I'm afraid it's the hard truth. Though I am not sure why it was done but I do know who did it thanks to Binti here," said Simba who looked down at Binti who was standing close to me looking very worried.

"Yes sir I saw everything," said Binti.

"Could you tell us how it happened?" asked Simba.

"Well I was just flying around looking for a nice shady spot to spend the afternoon in when I saw Kopa and Nuka running over to the river. I remember hearing Nuka say that there were some great places to hide in the logs and that mice liked to live there. I saw how fascinated Kopa was and before he could even join Nuka who was on a log, Leza suddenly jumps out and grabs Kopa by the neck and shakes him violently. She then drops him as hard as she can on the ground and makes sure he's dead by ripping him apart. It was just so terrible to watch," said Binti who then began to cry. I let her put her head on my shoulder where she stayed for a few minutes trying to wipe away the horrible memory.

"And Nuka what did he do when that happened, or did you not see him?" asked Simba who was eager for more answers.

Binti pushed herself away from me and looked up at Simba while the tears continued to flow freely. "I did not watch him until after Leza had finished her task. I remember hearing Leza tell Nuka that he did a good job in tricking Kopa and that his mother would be very proud," she said.

"Did they say why she killed Kopa?" asked Simba.

"No not at all," said Binti.

Simba gave a deep sigh and looked sadly down at the floor, this was not an easy task for him and probably one of the biggest judgments he had to make in his life as the new king.

"Zazu, as my advisor I must ask you what you think I should do to Zira," said Simba.

I knew something like this would happen; I was an advisor after all. I had to help the king make decisions whether they were too far fetched or just not likely. I was ready to give him my answer though.

"I say she has no place among our pride. I say you should banish her and her followers to the outlands so nothing like this will happen again," I said with as much dignity as I could in my voice. I always thought I did that well.

"That sounds like the perfect idea, does any one have any objections to it?" asked Simba.

"What about Leza though, she killed in cold blood," asked Pumbaa. I did not expect him to speak up like that.

"Yeah she killed our student," said Timon with his arms crossed and giving the angriest pout I had ever seen him make. For as second it made me wonder if he did it often when he still lived with his mother.

"Yes, they are right about that. How could you let someone live after they killed someone you loved," said Sarafina.

"Then I will give her a sentence as well but I will not pass it until I have a talk with Zira and her followers, Zazu find Zira for me and tell her that she needs to bring her followers with her to the base of Pride Rock for a meeting," said Simba.

I nodded and headed back to the cave where Zira gave birth. I was lucky enough to find her still lying there and she was not alone. All five of her followers were there including Leza who I could see still had a bloody muzzle from her execution of Kopa.

"What do you want?" asked Zira angrily.

I remembered Scar saying that to me years ago for wanting to talk to him about not coming to Simba's ceremony.

"Simba would like to have a talk with every one of you at the base of pride rock this instant," I said.

Zira growled and looked at her followers who seemed to be ready to do whatever Zira was ready to do.

"Tell him I will be there in a minute," she growled.

I nodded and flew back to Pride Rock where Simba stood outside waiting and watching. For about five minutes we stood there until we saw Zira finally arrive with one of her new cubs in her mouth, the dark one. Nuka had come too and had the lighter colored cub in his mouth. She set the dark cub down and then told Nuka to set the other one beside it. Zira then looked up at Simba angrily.

"Did I break a rule by giving birth to cubs?" asked Zira who acted like she had no idea what had happened today.

"No Zira, a witness told me that they saw one of your followers kill my son. Don't deny it because we know for a fact that this witness is truthful and has never lied to me once. So tell me, why did you kill my son?" asked Simba. He did not show any sadness but remained firm.

Zira growled under her breath and paced back and forth before finally making a reply. "Because I wanted the cub out of the way for my new cub so he could be in line for the throne and not have to worry about killing two males when he is old enough to rule," said Zira with hate in her voice.

"So that cub there is the reason for Kopa's death?" asked Simba pointing at the dark colored cub who was still sound asleep with his sister.

"Yes and he will be a grand leader one day, make no mistake about that," said Zira.

Simba sighed and shook his head. Zira was plainly out of her mind. Scar really made her as evil as she could get.

"Because of what just happened, I am now banishing you to the outlands, you are not to return here," said Simba.

"What! The outlands have barely any food and less water. How is this cub to survive without food or water?" asked Zira.

"That is no concern of mine," said Simba.

Zira growled and looked like she was ready to run up there and kill Simba but she stood her ground.

"Now before I send you on your way, will the killer of my son please step forward," said Simba.

Surprisingly Leza walked forward, showing no emotion but sensing that her sentence would not be a good one.

"It was I, Zira told me to and I regret nothing," said Leza.

"Then because of the murder of my son Kopa my sentence to you is death," said Simba with a roar.

Leza did not flinch she must have known it was coming and stood her ground as Simba came forward.

"Do you have any last words?" asked Simba.

"Only that I hope Zira will avenge my death one day and that your death will be slow and painful," said Leza.

Simba said nothing and before any one could react, Simba attacked. There was a cry of pain as Simba tore at Leza. As it happened I felt something grab my wing. I looked beside me and saw Binti holding her wing to mine and covering her eyes with her other wing. She had witness yet another gruesome death that day.

It was all over in less than a minute, Leza's body lay beside Simba while Simba stood over her with no marks of any kind on his body. He had done the business of a king.

Simba then looked up at Zira and the remaining followers with angry eyes. They knew they all had to leave at once, but Zira could not help but threaten Simba one last time.

"Mark my words Simba; this is not the last you will hear of me, my son will return one day, stronger than ever. And that is when you will meet your demise," she said with an evil laugh.

Simba stood his ground and said nothing. Instead he only watched as she picked up the dark cub and began to carry him to the outlands. Nuka stared at us for a moment with angry eyes before finally picking up the little female and carrying her with him to the outlands.

For a long time we watched them go until they were only mere specks on the horizon. Simba then turned to the remaining members of the pride.

"Rafiki has buried Kopa on the other side of Pride Rock if you wish to pay your respects to him. If you see any of Zira's followers please report them to me and I will deal with them. Now if you don't mind I would like to have some alone time with Nala," said Simba.

The lionesses all scattered while Simba and Nala retired to the cave. I knew they had to discuss about the future of their unborn child. I hoped that this ones life would not end so tragically like Kopa's and that Zira would not try to mess anything up.

I then turned to Binti who was still standing beside me and crying softly.

"Everything is going to be okay Binti," I told her as I raised her head up to look into my eyes.

"Oh Zazu it was terrible, I cannot believe someone would do that in cold blood," she said.

"I know, some people are not as kind as others," I said.

"Just like my father," said Binti.

"What?" I asked.

"Just like my father," said Binti.

"Can you tell me about him?" I asked.

"It will be a long story, would you be willing to listen to a long story?" she asked

"Yes I really want to know more about you," I said.

And so Binti's story of her past began.

* * *

A/N: Okay you will find out more about her past in the next chapter. This chapter is long enough to begin with I think. I hope you all liked it too sorry if it did not have enough action in it or that it was a little boring, but hey not all stories are perfect. Oh yes I also would like to report that because of renovations of both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon starting October 23rd, I am moving to a new place of work in Disney World. I will now be working at the Magic Kingdom. I will be working at one of the stands that sell popcorn and ice cream bars on the east side of the kingdom. That means I will either be in Tommorrowland or Toontown. I hope this will be a lot of fun but I bet my hours will be long so if I don't update very much any more it's because of my schedule. Any way please review and have a great day. 


	32. So this is love

Okay funny joke I heard while riding the tram back to a friend's car from Magic Kingdom the other day.

Q. Why does Peter Pan always fly?

A. Because he never neverlands.

Yeah corny but a good laugh the first time you hear it. Any way better start this chapter before you all beat me.

* * *

**So this is love, Mmmmmm  
so this is love  
So this is what makes life divine  
I'm all aglow, Mmmmmm  
and now I know  
The key to all heaven is mine**

So this is love-song from Cinderella

I stood on the branch of the tree listening to every word Binti told me. I regretted it later but I'm glad I knew about her past.

"I was born in a rainforest many days away from here. In fact the moon would make its half rotation before I finally reached my destination here. But that's not really important is it. I had four other siblings. Two sisters and two brothers. Like I said though, one died a few days after he hatched, my first sister died from the jaws of a cheetah while the other died while trying her wing at flying."

"But that was not the only death I experienced. My mother died a few days after my sister who fell out of the tree. We don't know what it was, one day she was coughing really badly but she kept saying that she was fine, the next morning I awoke to find her cold body on one side of the nest. She died in her sleep."

"But we did not have to live the rest of our chick hood alone; my father took care of us though he was never there to really help. In fact he did not find out about my mothers death until later that day when he came to check on her to make sure we had been fed properly that day."

"He was a kind father though until that day. I remember it like an elephant remembers where the best clay pit is, I wish to forget it but I can't, the scars just won't go away. He saw my dead mother and looked over at the three chicks. The one who was killed by the cheetah was still alive but she would be dead in a few weeks. But I remember the cold darkness in his eyes, full of hate yet with sorrow as well. I remember that heavy wing ascend down on my face and the pain that went with it for a few minutes afterward.

"I remember the horrible words that came out of his mouth afterwards. Another scar that had never healed.

'You wretched child, look what you have done to your mother. You caused her death, you were one too many for her and now you caused her death, you little piece of filth.'

'But Dad, I did not cause anything, she loved me like my other siblings and why are you punishing me for her death?' I had asked."

"My father gave me another hateful look and then slapped me again so hard that I flew against the wall of the nest momentarily stunned. 'You bitch, how dare you use that tone of voice around me like that,' he said.

"I said nothing but watched as he flew off, my brother and sister helped me get up and all night we sat in that cold nest wondering what would become of us and why he put his anger out on me. If we died there after a few weeks of no food, we did know how to fly a little but we were not experts. We kept thinking about doing that if he did not come back. But he did much to our relief but to my grief as well."

"He returned the next day in the afternoon with food for all three of us. They were berries, delicious juicy berries. We had been starving since the day before so all three of us jumped in at once to eat but of course I was pushed back by my father who then stood above me and glared."

'Wait your turn, I'll tell you when you can eat and when not to,' he said angrily as he watched the other two eat. I looked up at him sadly, hoping he would feel sorry for me but instead he didn't."

'Don't give me that attitude, your not getting any no matter what,' he said.

'Why are you doing this to me Dad, I thought you loved me,' I said my face full of hurt.

"My father gave a huge growl and grabbed me by my neck and as hard as he could, he slammed me against the side of the tree and pinned me there. 'I told you to not talk back to me like that, because of your foolishness; you will not get any of those berries.' He said his eyes filled with hate and anger."

'I'm sorry father,' I said while tears fell down my face. He was hurting me and I did not like it."

"Without warning he only roared with anger and as hard as he could, he slammed me down the ground and held me there with his claws which dug deep into my skin. I swear I still have the scars to what he did to this day."

'Don't speak until I say you can talk you piece of dirt,' he said before he pushed me hard against the wall again and then noticing that my two siblings had left, he simply left the nest and did not look back."

"I lay there while my two siblings looked sadly down at me. My back was bleeding and both had no idea why my father was like this. My brother quickly helped me up and tended to my wounds while my sister presented me a berry that she hid from our father."

"I ate it but it only tasted like ash. My father's anger had left me feeling bitter and lonely. My two siblings tried to comfort me but I quickly moved over to a corner of the nest and lay there in a fetal position for the rest of the night."

"This is how most of my days were. My father would come home for a few hours and feed us or teach us how to fly. Flying was the worst, I would make the slightest mistake and he would punish me for it. One time he even pushed me out of the nest. Luckily I knew how to fly a little better and was able to flutter down to the bottom without getting injured"

"What was odd though was that he never reprimanded my brother or my sister when they made a mistake, he would tell them that it was a mistake and that they should try again. Did he do that for me? Sadly not."

"When my sister was killed by that cheetah I got the worst punishment imaginable. I remember standing there with my brother on the rock where the cheetah took our sister. We both cried softly knowing we would never see her again. All of a sudden my father shows up and grabs me as hard as he can and slaps me as hard as he can in the cheek with his wing."

'What happened?' he asked me angrily.

'It was a cheetah, it just came out of no where, we did not even smell it' I said to him"

"Another slap to the face this one caused me to fall to the ground and whimper while he insulted me for the hundredth time for not watching our sister and that it was my fault for her death just like my mothers."

"Once he finished insulting me he grabbed me and with all his might he flew me toward a waterfall and put my head in it until he felt that I had enough or at least until I was unconscious. I woke up the next morning lying in a mud bank, my father was standing on a rock and waiting for me to awaken so he could insult me some more."

"He did of course and then brought me back to the nest where I was forced to kiss my brothers feet while he tried to get my father to stop all this. Of course my father only ignored him and continued to insult me."

"The time finally came for me to leave the nest and head out on my own a few months later. I remember my plan; I would leave without saying goodbye to my father and head north to a place as far away from him as possible. I could not wait and I was going to do it in the morning before he awoke."

"But somehow he must have known. When I awoke the next morning, I found him standing beside me, watching me with his hate filled eyes."

'Why are you up so early?' he asked me"

'I uh, was going to find a new home for myself,' I said knowing the truthful answer was always the best one."

'Did I say you could leave?' he asked as he got closer to me, I stepped back, hoping that he would not hurt me.

"I only shook my head as he advanced closer on me, his eyes growing more angry and menacing by the minute."

'Answer me! Did I say you could leave?' he asked"

'I said no!' I said with a scream.

'Then why did you think about leaving?' he asked.

'Because I wanted to get away from you,' I said.

"My father stopped and looked at me, all of a sudden he looked hurt and confused like I had hurt his feelings, the same way he hurt my feelings."

'So you're saying that you don't love me?' he asked sounding all sad about it. I knew he had to be bluffing."

'Well you don't love me,' I said."

'I love you will all my heart and soul, what makes you think that I don't love you?' he asked.

'Because you insult me and you hurt me, and that is not love, that is hate which is how you feel about me and how I feel about you,' I said, I wanted to be truthful even though I knew I would anger him even more."

"I remember how you explained to me how Scar was like when he was angry and when you told me about that I thought of my father because that is what he looked like after I had told him. And without warning he hit me harder than he had ever hit me before in my life. My cheek hurt for days afterward and because of what I said to him I was not allowed to leave home, he supervised me day and night, he decided when I should eat, when I should sleep and what jobs I should do for him which was all the time."

"Of course I was also abused and insulted during those terrible times in my life that's why you have noticed that I am so shy I just don't know when someone is about to lash out at me for something I only did that was slightly wrong."

"Let's just say I did think about suicide once, in fact I almost did it but something in my mind told me otherwise. That I should try to escape. That life was still worth living. So one evening I gave my father some fermented berries that I found lying on a dry river bank. He was at first very happy and giddy, something I have never seen in him before but soon he slowed down and before long he was sound asleep."

"That was when I escaped. That was when I began my journey to find a new home. That was when I heard of the Pride Lands and the new King Simba. And that's when I finally met you Zazu."\

* * *

She finished her story in a rather awkward way. She gave me a hug, I had never received one before and I must say that it was quite exhilarating. I patted her back while I she cried a little, her story had been quite a sad one.

"I'm so glad I have found you Zazu, I feel like I am not as shy any more, well not as bad as I once was," she said.

"I'm glad we met too, I have someone of my own kind to talk to daily and not only once a month," I said remembering Kalifa for one brief moment.

Suddenly Binti pushed herself away from my shoulder and held her wind to mind while she looked at me straight in the eye. "I love you Zazu," she said.

For a moment I was stunned, I was not expecting this to happen. I thought I would be the one to break the silence but here was Binti blurting it out as sudden as a wet season storm.

"Do you really?" It was the only words that could come out of my mouth. I slapped myself for it.

"Ever since our first breakfast together I knew that destiny brought us together but I was too shy to say anything, I was afraid you would yell at me and never talk to me again," said Binti who then looked down at the floor shamefully.

I lifted her head and brushed her beautiful red feathers back a little since they took half of her eyes away. "Binti, listen to me, I would never ever do anything like that to any one I know. My enemies maybe but not the people I love," I said.

"Then will you be my mate?" she asked.

I grabbed a yellow flower from the branch we were sitting in and put it in her head while I kissed her wing before I finally responded. "It would be an honor if I became your mate," I said.

Binti smiled and then put her wings around me. "I'm glad I decided to not give up hope and find a new life because I think it was worth it," she said.

"And I know that my life will now be complete," I said.

That night we sat at the top of Pride Rock watching the sun slowly sink into the west, the day had ended on a sad note but it also ended with a new reason for living.

We were married a week later. Rafiki did the ceremony while Simba, Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, Sarabi, Sarafina and all the other lionesses of the pride attended and watched the beautiful ceremony. My sister and amazingly my mother with her mate even showed up to watch the wonderful ceremony take place.

It was a memory I would never forget and that I knew would last a lifetime.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was sponsored by Kodak, creating memories that last a lifetime. LOL. Any way hope you all like that chapter and sorry it took so long to update, writers block can a be a pain and so can going out every night to do something. Oh yeah and I survived a hurricane. It was really boring though nothing really happened. Just rain and very little wind.

Also I am beginning to think that I should have made this three different stories because this is a long story, I think its close to creating the story with the most words out of the lion king section. But oh well you learn from your mistakes.

I find this also funny. It seems that everyone in the lion king section is falling in love. MorpheusDreamers story, Nala5's story, others I cannot remember right now. It's interesting I guess October is the month not February.

Well I hope you all have a nice week and please review.


	33. Kiara

No one says no to Gaston... Oh wait wrong story. Ahem. New chapter, new character, well not really unless you have never seen Simba's Pride. Oh yes and if this new chapter in Zazu's legacy, which ends when the story ends, gets confusing I apologize because truthfully I have no idea what the hell I am doing. So enjoy.

Oh wait one more thing, ever feel like getting mad for no reason at all, then read every bad review Troy Wong has given to everyone. Let's just say my blood is boiling at the moment so maybe some light writing will calm me down. If anyone else thinks he's an arrogant little bastard then feel free to raise your hand and smack him with my lap top. Oh wait that would be waste of lap top now wouldn't it. Okay I better shut up now and move on. I have a good saying my grandfather once said about this situation but I don't think it's appropriate for a story that is only rated PG or K+ whatever.

Oh yes and I discovered the song "Endless night" I might put it up in a later chapter when things get a little sad, yes you heard right we still have sadness coming our way. Okay enough with my yackitty yack yack on with the story.

* * *

Now that I was married to Binti I now shared my nest with her above the cave entrance. She always liked the place and thought it was much better than the tree she used to sleep in and did feel safer in a cave with lions she knew.

Of course she also got to hear the latest gossip and things that went on in the pride lands. She liked it and I was glad she was able to be around more because of it. She was even able to witness a birth, a birth that would change the pride lands forever.

It was one of those stormy nights, most of the pride had just returned from a hunt save for a few who were still out there, still hungry after only getting a few pieces of the hunt. Timon and Pumbaa were missing too but ever since the river incident they were smart enough to spend the night in a safe place until the storm passed or until they woke up the next morning.

I was talking with Simba about an incident with some gazelles at the water hole that morning when Nala suddenly gasped. Simba turned to her and looked at her worriedly.

"Are you okay Nala, did you eat too much meat?" asked Simba remembering a time when a member of the pride ate a little too much and had a stomach ache for a few days.

"No Simba I think it's time," said Nala before she gave another gasp.

At first Simba was in shock but then he gave a big smile knowing that his new heir had finally arrived. Simba ran over to her and began to encourage her to push.

"Come on Nala, bring my Tanabi into the world," said Simba. Tanabi was the name he was going to give the child when it was born, he was sure it would be a male. The commotion caused all the lionesses to gather around and see the new life. Binti and I though got the perfect view from our nest, we could see everything.

What amazed Binti and I was that it was a short birth; it only lasted for about thirty minutes before the new life arrived. Simba looked down at the cub and smiled happily. He was about to touch it when Nala grabbed it and licked it clean.

"Oh I'm a grandmother again," said Sarabi with happiness in her eyes.

"So am I," said Sarafina who jumped beside Sarabi so she could see the new miracle.

"So let me see my little Tanabi," said Simba who was now bouncing around like a young cub again.

"Oh Simba I think you will have to rename this one," said Nala with a happy sigh.

"Why is that?" asked Simba worriedly.

"Because your new heir is a girl," said Nala who then revealed the new cub. She was a beautiful orangish golden color and had the brightest eyes I had ever seen of a cub.

Simba looked shocked for a moment but then the realization hit him, any gender could be heir to the throne just as long as he taught them about being king or queen.

"So what will we name her?" asked Nala who then pushed the cub over to Simba who began to clean his new treasure.

"How about Kiara?" asked Simba after he finished cleaning her.

"It's beautiful," said Nala.

Simba smiled and looked down at his new cub who began to bat at his flowing mane. Simba laughed and gave his daughter a hug.

"Don't worry Kiara, I will watch over you always, I will never loose you and you will one day become a fine queen," said Simba while Kiara found a nice pillow to lie on, his leg.

Nala smiled while Simba watched Kiara. I have never seen him look so happy before, it truly was a happy moment.

"Zazu," said Simba after a long silence.

"Yes sire?" I asked Simba as I flew down to him.

"Before the sun rises in the morning can you announce to the kingdom that a new heir to the throne has been born and that it is time for Rafiki to perform the ceremony?" asked Simba.

"Yes sire I would be honored to," I said.

Simba only smiled and licked Kiara again before giving her back to Nala so she could receive nourishment.

I flew back to Binti who smiled at me, she was happy to see that Simba was finally happy again after loosing Kopa only a few weeks ago. I wanted to talk to her that night but I had a big day tomorrow, Kiara would be presented to the pride lands and I would announce her birth.

I was too excited to sleep that night though. I tossed and turned so much that Binti actually kicked me out of the nest for disturbing her. I decided it was best for me to just wander the pride lands before dawn showed her face. I had never done this before and I was amazed by how quiet the place was when every creature was asleep.

I finally decided that it was best to wake up Rafiki so he could begin his trek to pride rock and begin the ceremony. When I arrived at his tree, I found him already awake and chanting something as he mixed his potions together. I could never tell if he was aware of his surroundings so I stood on a nearby branch wondering if I should go forward.

"I know you're there Zazu and I already know that a princess has been born to the king," he said.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"That does not matter but what does is that this is the first time we have had a princess born to the pride lands since before the shaman that was before me," said Rafiki.

"Does this mean anything?" I asked.

"I have not seen anything yet but I will once she gets older, hopefully I will see something, I saw nothing with Kopa, too bad I did not know that it meant that he would die, " said Rafiki.

I only nodded as I watched Rafiki gather his supplies for the ceremony.

"I will see you at Pride Rock," he said and jumped out of his tree and ran toward the rock which could barely be seen in the darkness. I looked to the east and saw some light begin to show over the horizon, a new day was arriving and I needed to announce the news.

I waited for a moment though I did not want to start too early or the ceremony would start late for those who were not in the mood to awaken. Once I felt the time was right I began my call.

I saw Timon and Pumbaa once as I flew over and both looked at each other excitedly as I announced the ceremony. Timon quickly hopped on Pumbaa's back and together they ran as fast as they could toward Pride Rock.

The other animals heard me as well and soon I could see lines of animals heading toward Pride Rock. No matter how many times I have seen it, I am still amazed by how many creatures attend.

I finally returned to Pride Rock when Rafiki had just lifted Kiara in the air and held her up for some time before finally returning her to Simba and Nala who both cuddled her, happy to see that they officially had a new heir.

Of course the next thing that we had to do was break the news to Timon and Pumbaa that it was not a boy. They were quite shocked when Rafiki told them it was a girl. I knew it would take some persuasion for the cub to want to eat bugs or learn the new technique of flatulence. But of course we had to be on extra alert for this one; Zira probably had spies everywhere by now.

For the first few weeks, it was easy to watch her. She never went far and was more interested in Simba's mane or my tail feathers which she pulled off a few times.

But when Simba or the rest were not around to watch her, it was usually Sarabi. Sarabi was growing old now so she spent most of her days in the cave resting or now that Kiara had been born, she watched her. It was not much trouble at first. Usually Kiara would crawl away to inspect something and Sarabi would take her time getting up to grab the little princess. But once Kiara could walk properly she was always trying to run away and poor Sarabi could no longer handle it, it actually exhausted her. I could see it in her eyes after a long day, she was no longer young like she once was and we all knew her time would come sooner or later. It was now time for Timon and Pumbaa to take over baby sitting duties.

Of course this time, Kiara did not have the same bondness as Kopa had with them and she would always run away from them. I would often find them at the end of the day sulking in their corner of the cave and wishing that Kopa was still alive to play with.

I remember one day in particular though, they had been sent by Simba to watch over her while she ran off to play and I was out patrolling the land looking for anything suspicious. That's when I saw Timon and Pumbaa running toward me, I knew there was trouble so I flew down.

"Zazu you got to help, Pumbaa does not know anything about baby sitting," said Timon.

"Well how was I supposed to know it was a figment of speech," said Pumbaa who glared back at Timon.

My first instinct was. "Oh no they squished Kiara," but then I decided to let them talk.

"You see Pumbaa sat on her and then we tried to feed her bugs but then we got distracted and agued about which bug was better crunchy or slimy, I like crunchy ones the best but that's not what we are worried about here," said Timon.

"Go on," I said in an annoyed voice knowing how Timon would often ramble about the best kinds of insects.

"In other words, we argued Kiara away," said Pumbaa.

"You mean she is lost out there somewhere?" I asked.

They both nodded sheepishly. I smacked my head. "Go tell Simba and I will look for her," I said.

"But do we really have to tell Simba? I mean we can all just act like we are playing hide and seek and then we can say she is hiding in that bush over there and she won't come out," said Timon.

I stared at Timon long enough to cause him to realize that it was important to know where Kiara was.

"Alright, alright we're going. Party Pooper," said Timon.

Both of them ran back to Pride Rock while I began my search. For some reason I could sense that she was not in the right place. Sure enough she was in the outlands playing with a strange cub. Without looking back I immediately flew off to tell Simba.

Simba was just climbing down Pride Rock when I arrived and he looked up at me wanting to know what was going on.

"She's in the outlands," I said.

Simba looked at me wide eyed and then turned to the lionesses. "Kiara is in the outlands, she could get hurt I need all able bodied lionesses to come with me just in case," he said.

And without glancing to see who was going with him, he ran and I and the lionesses followed as fast as we could behind him.

We arrived at the border in the nick of time. Zira was stalking Kiara while she played with the cub who had to have been the same one that I saw when Zira was banished, now older and looking very menacing.

Simba jumped in front of the cub and roared at him, this caused Zira to jump out of the bush and roar back at him. For a minute both glared at each other while Kiara hid behind Simba and the other cub hid behind Zira.

"Zira," Simba growled.

"Simba," Zira growled back.

She made a move like she was about to attack when the rest of the lionesses of the pride showed up ready to protect Simba. Zira saw Nala right away.

"Nala," said Zira with disgust.

"Zira," Nala glared.

"Timon, Pumbaa, now that we all know each other. GET OUTTA OUR PRIDE LANDS!" Said Timon who was sitting on top of Pumbaa acting all tough.

"Your Pride Lands?" asked Zira who roared back at the little meerkat.

Timon ducked under Pumbaa's hair in fright. So much for the brave meerkat.

Again Simba roared back at her. Then both had a roaring fight for a few minutes before Zira continued.

"These lands belong to Scar," she said.

"I banished you from the pride lands. Now you and your young cub…get out!" said Simba who was now eye to eye with Zira.

Zira only dismissed it and walked around her cub who was shaking and looking up at Simba nervously.

"Oh haven't you met my son...Kovu. He was hand chosen by Scar to follow in his paw prints and become a king," said Zira. It made me wonder though how he was hand chosen by Scar, Scar was dead before Kovu was even born. Of course I could tell that Zira probably made up lies to the cub all the time.

Simba looked down at Kovu who looked back up at Simba was frightened eyes. He shook and cringed down at the great king. Timon of course had to speak with his mind.

"That's not a king, that's a fuzzy maraca," he said.

Zira ignored his comment and continued to rant. "Kovu was the last born before you exiled us to the outlands, where we have little food, less water," said Zira who then acted like she was dying because of the lack of available nutrients. She should have thought of that before she killed Kopa.

"You know the penalty for returning to the pride lands," said Simba who ignored her comments.

"But the child does not. However if you need your pound of flesh, here take it," said Zira as she pushed Kovu forward. Simba looked down at Kovu who continued to shake with fright. Zira watched hoping he would do the inevitable just so she could start a fight. After a long awkward moment, Simba made up his mind.

"Take him and get out, we're finished here," said Simba who then went over and picked up the frightened Kiara.

"Oh no Simba, we have barely begun," said Zira who then laughed menacingly before picking up Kovu and walking off.

It was a simple argument, it could have been worse. It could have never even happened if Timon and Pumbaa did not loose her. But mistakes happen and it was good to know that Zira was still around and still plotting.

We slowly walked back to Pride Rock, halfway back though, Simba decided to stay behind and give Kiara the circle of life talk. She was around the age where she needed to know.

I flew back to pride rock with everyone else and to spend the evening with Binti, I had not done that in a while and I knew she needed me to be there with her that evening. Besides it was going to be a clear night and clear nights always meant a time to be together.

* * *

A/N: Well that ending just went down the tubes, and I did not like this chapter at all. But at least I plan to make my next one better. And Gryfffinrose stop that you silly girl, it was only a category 2. Well have a nice week guys and don't forget to review. 


	34. Loosing Sarabi

Well I hope to have this story finished by the end of December but we will have to see since I start working at Magic Kingdom soon and my hours will be really scattered, so if you don't here from me in a while that's what happened to me. Any way time to start this story.

* * *

A month passed after our first meeting with Zira ever since she had been banished. Kiara was on tight watch now. It was usually some member of the pride who watched her. They never really had any problems but after a long day of playing I would often find Kiara sulking at the back of the cave and wishing she was allowed to be on her own. No matter how many times someone would say why her father was so protective she would not care. She believed that if she played in the pride lands she would be fine and that Zira would not hurt her but we believed that spies wandered the area and we wanted to be careful. 

Even though Kiara thought it was stupid to have an escort with her at all times she still enjoyed the times she spent with Sarabi her favorite grandmother. Usually they would spend the days talking about life and her grandfather who Kiara wished was still around so she could meet him.

I remember one evening in particular when I saw them both coming home and Sarabi looking more tired than normal. I flew down to check on her.

"Everything alright Madame?" I asked.

"Yes I am quite alright, just tired from a long day with Kiara, I showed her the gorge where her grandfather died," she said.

"It was sad," said Kiara in a low voice.

"Yes but at least you know where he fell if you ever wanted to visit him again," said Sarabi.

Kiara only nodded but then perked up when she saw Nala run toward her.

"Mom I saw where Granddad died," she said.

"Oh did grandma show you?" asked Nala.

"Yeah it's really quiet down there, and sad," said Kiara.

"Well it is a resting place, a place where a murder was committed," said Nala.

"Yeah I'm glad Scar is gone too, he sounded so ruthless," said Kiara.

"Oh yes he was, one of these days I will tell you my side during that time, he used me as his jester," I said.

"Yeah Timon said you were stuck in a rib cage when he first saw you," said Kiara.

"Yes and that was not a pleasant experience," I said.

Kiara was about to reply when she saw Simba walking down Pride Rock. She smiled happily and ran to greet him. Both then began to play and Nala joined in a few minutes later.

"If only I were that young again," sighed Sarabi as she watched the small family play together.

I said nothing but patted her paw as she continued to watch her son and granddaughter play. It was something she always dreamed of seeing but now it seemed she was too old to be around for them.

"I remember when Kopa was born and I was still as spry as I was then but ever since Kiara came into this world I feel my years slipping away from me," said Sarabi.

Hearing Sarabi feel that way made me sad for her. I sensed that she would have probably still had strength if it had not been for those terrible years with Scar. It looked to me like he had caused her to age early, that's why we all knew her time would come soon.

"But remember, where there was darkness comes light and that is what Simba did for us all, you should be proud of your son," I said.

"He has been a wonderful king so far hasn't he?" she asked with a small smile.

"Yes he has, he brought life back to this place," I said.

"If only Mufasa could see him," said Sarabi.

"I bet he has," I said.

Sarabi only smiled but then the smiled faded into a yawn. She gave as small stretch before walking up Pride Rock.

"I think its time I retired," she said.

"Then you have a nice rest, I will see you in the morning," I said.

"Goodnight Zazu," she said before vanishing into the den.

I gave a small sigh, I was a little worried about her, she had been tired more often now and I knew it was not good. Simba knew that too but he tried to keep it quiet, he knew his mother would keep saying that she was fine and not to worry about her but of course it was just the opposite.

For a few hours I watched Simba, Kiara, and Nala play while the rest of the lionesses of the pride went about their business and played as well or took one last walk to the waterhole for the evening. Binti came home from her evening meal and joined me in my watch until it was too dark to stay up any more. We retired to our nest together without any concerns or cares in the world.

It was late, the sun would not be up for many hours from now and everyone in the cave was asleep, that is until I was awakened by a noise. I opened one eye and looked down at the sleeping lions to see who made the noise. It had been Sarabi and she was standing up and looking outside the den.

"Mufasa?" she said as she walked out the den.

This worried me for I feared that she must be sleepwalking and she could fall off the ledge if she was not careful. I had to go out and watch her.

I made my way outside and saw her walk slowly to the tip of Pride Rock and look up at the sky. She finally stopped at the edge and looked up for at least five minutes before finally collapsing on her side, she did not move. It was Ahadi all over again and I panicked, I had to see if she was alright.

I reached halfway but I was quickly held back when a bright light suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I felt a cool breeze whip around me while I watched the bright light engulf Sarabi's body and stretch up to a nearby star that then began to glow brighter than ever. I looked back down at Sarabi, at first I thought she was getting back up but then I realized her body was still where it had fallen, her spirit was the only thing that was still alive.

She circled her body as if she was trying to make out what was happening. She stepped on her body but her paw went right through. She gasped and looked up at the sky toward the star.

I looked up at the star with her when suddenly; it became brighter until I saw an image run down toward her. I recognized it almost immediately to be Mufasa, there was no way to mistake that thick mane.

Mufasa soon reached her and for a moment, Sarabi stared not sure what to make of this ghost who came out of nowhere. But fear soon changed when she realized who it was and began to nuzzle him.

"I thought I would never see you again," said Sarabi.

"Nor I you, are you ready to come home?" asked Mufasa.

"After seeing you again, I don't want to let you go," said Sarabi.

"Then come but first I must bid farewell to an old friend," said Mufasa.

I did not know he was referring to me until he walked toward me. I was amazed by the glory that Mufasa's spirit possessed, his mane was more beautiful than ever and he still looked the same after all these years. He truly was magnificent.

"Zazu," he said.

"Sire?" was the only word that could come out of my beak.

"Thank you for helping keep the pride lands alive," he said.

"Oh but I could not have done it without Sarabi sire, she kept everyone's hopes up," I said.

"Yes but you were the one to help overthrow Scar by calling for Tahir, too bad my brother cheated and let the hyenas win," said Mufasa.

"Speaking of your brother how is he?" I asked wondering if lesser kings were able to get a star up in the sky like the great kings.

Mufasa turned around and there behind him stood Scar looking down at the floor shamefully and talking to Sarabi who only listened with caring and understanding.

"He realized his mistakes after he died, he realized that he only wanted power and that it was power that killed him. He does not get a star of his own because of his deeds but he is still able to sit beside me because he apologized for his mistakes," said Mufasa.

Scar looked up at me, his face no longer held the icy stare but one of forgiveness and sadness. He was no longer Scar to me now, he was now Taka.

"Now that Sarabi is with me, will you take care of Simba for us?" asked Mufasa.

"I would be honored to," I said.

Mufasa smiled and patted my head with his huge paw, but I felt no heaviness, only a soft feeling you get when you brush your body against a leaf.

"Take care of that wife of yours too, you don't want to ever loose a treasure like that," he said.

I smiled I was glad Mufasa knew everything that happened down here. I wondered if he even guided Simba through the hard times he had to deal with when Zira was still part of the pride.

"Well I guess it is time for Sarabi to go, we have a lot to catch up on," said Mufasa.

"Then since I never had a chance to say goodbye to you, goodbye," I said.

"Goodbye Zazu, if I ever need an advisor I'll call you," he said.

"I would be honored to help you but wait until I can barely fly, it would seem more likely to do that," I said.

Mufasa laughed. "I'll remember that," he said.

Then with a nod he turned around and walked up to Sarabi who nuzzled him once again. They watched as Taka began his descent back up into the heavens and once he disappeared from view they ran to the edge of Pride Rock and then made a decent up into the sky and toward the star. The light followed them which faded once they crossed it. Soon they reached the star and it slowly returned to its normal form.

I adjusted my eyes to the changing light and that's when I saw it, a smaller star standing beside it. Sarabi would now be with Mufasa always.

I looked down at Sarabi's lifeless form and slowly walked over to it. As I moved closer to see her, I noticed that she had a smile on her face. I knew she was at peace now and I did not feel uncomfortable around her body, probably because I saw her spirit after she died.

I patted her paw before I decided to fly back to the cave. I would not tell Simba, I would let him find out by himself in the morning. To this day I have never told him that I saw his father or his mother, it was a secret that only Rafiki knew about which I did not tell to him but one could only hope who did.

Sarabi was buried the next morning beside Kopa, her first grandson and Ahadi, her father-in-law. Condolences were made by everyone in the pride. I would tell them to you but it would fill a whole book and it lasted well into the afternoon.

It was the saddest funeral I had ever been to, tears fell down every cheek and stories of old were told by each member. They were sad memories but they were also memories that would last a lifetime.

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A/N: Hope you all like that chapter, I feel that something is missing to it but I am not sure what, oh well just as long as you guys like it I am happy. So please review everyone. Oh yes and if anyone cares or is wondering what I look like just check out a link that has my pics. They are in my profile. Have a nice weekend. 


	35. A Nest

Okay on to chapter 35. Hope you all enjoy it and please read Pichooi's "Majordomo Madness" Ban'ai will be in it, and possibly Zorro. Well on with the chapter.

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The rainy season arrived like clockwork, everyone was prepared for it. Some built better homes to shelter from the storm; others just went about their daily task, not too concerned about it. Some even went as far as to preparing nurseries for their growing family. This was the time when new life would also start. 

I of course I had not really thought about new life, I was more concerned about my daily duties, Simba had been more watchful and worrisome lately, especially after finding a stranger he never met in his land and who was slightly dangerous looking. So I had to spend almost half of my day patrolling the border of the outlands and pridelands to make sure no intruders were entering.

That also meant less time with Binti who was for some reason very shy at the moment. I did ask her what was wrong but she only flew off and said she would be back later for bed time.

Of course she stayed on her promise and came home every night but she would not say much and fall asleep very fast. I would as well seeing as how I would spend all day patrolling.

But then Binti disappeared for four days, she did not come late at night and sleep with me so my nest was as empty as it once was. I of course was very worried and asked many of the local birds around the area to tell me if they saw her at all.

I remember on my fourth day that I decided to kill two birds with one stone, not literally but you know what I mean. I decided to search for her near the outlands while patrolling. Luckily I found her, well that is she found me. As soon as I saw her though I flew as fast as I could toward her and together in midair we hugged for quite some time.

"Where have you been, I thought I lost you," I said to her.

"If you come with me I will show you where I have been," she said and without another word began to fly off toward a cluster of trees. I followed right behind.

We soon reached the trees and Binti led me to a rather bushy spot that was very tangled, a great place to hide if someone wanted to. Binti then pushed back a group of leaves to reveal a nest where six eggs sat clustered together.

"Oh dear are they orphaned?" I asked.

"No," said Binti warmly.

"Are you taking care of them while the mother is out?" I asked again clearly not knowing the real answer.

"No honey, it's ours," said Binti.

I looked back at the nest in shock, for a moment I did not know what to say, I was not expecting this, in fact I was never expecting this to happen.

"So-so-so I-I'm a f-f-f-father?" I asked finally.

Binti nodded warmly as she began to sit on them. I watched her as she sat down and stared happily at me. I could tell she was waiting a long time for this.

"I'm sorry I did not tell you sooner, you just seemed so busy that I did not want to bother you," said Binti.

"Binti you would not have bothered me at all if you told me sooner, Simba would definitely understand. And besides I would have loved to help build the nest," I said.

"I'm glad you are happy then, can you believe it, we are parents," said Binti.

I only smiled at her, I stared into her beautiful eyes and at that moment I realized that we now had a family. A family just like Simba had but this one was larger and had wings. I could not wait to teach them to fly maybe even teach one to become an advisor like me one day. I had to retire eventually.

I could not stop staring at Binti and the soon to be family, I was so proud. I warm glow filled up inside me. Me a father to be, out of all the birds in the world I was the one to have children soon.

I was so happy that I did not want to be the sentry and watch for intruders but I knew I had to just in case someone did enter. Luckily I discovered a nice vantage point from the top of the tree where I could see everything while at the same time watching Binti sit on the eggs and look up at me warmly.

I decided while sitting up there that I would give Simba a report every evening and then return here to be with Binti every night until the chicks hatched. I would still do the morning report but afternoons were strictly for Binti.

I told Simba later that night that I was going to be a father and he was quite ecstatic and demanded to see the chicks when they were old enough to fly. I was honored that he wanted to see them and could not wait now for their arrival.

Kalifa my sister found out a week later, she never found a mate for herself but the idea of being an aunt was the greatest thing as being a sister to me. She promised to visit again once they hatched so they could come and visit "Auntie Kalifa"

The time came for the eggs to hatch I remember I was watching at the top of the tree when Binti suddenly called my name. I flew down as fast as I could to find her standing at the edge of the nest and looking down at it.

"What is it Binti?" I asked worriedly.

"Look, Zazu, they are hatching," she said.

I looked down and saw two of the eggs had a small crack in them, one was bigger than the other and I could see a small beak sticking out and trying to pry itself out. I smiled; it was my first look at my first child.

For a while we watched the beautiful miracle emerge until it was completely out of its shell looking up at us with barely any feathers. It was a girl.

"What should we call her?" I asked.

"How about Conga?" asked Binti.

"I like it," I said.

I watched as the tiny fluffy ball crawled over to Binti and cuddled up close to her for warmth. I felt a sense of peace enter my body as Binti held her close and inspecting her to make sure she was perfect.

"You know since she was the first born, do you mind if I teach her to become Simba's advisor so that when I retire he may have a new one ready for him?" I asked.

"I would not mind at all," said Binti.

I smiled before being distracted by the next chick who had just finished emerging from the shell. It was a boy and we named him Nuru.

By the end of the day, three more chicks hatched bringing a total of three girls and two boys. We named the others Bahati, Tiki, and Dinari.

Sadly though one egg never hatched, we waited a few days for it to arrive but nothing came from it. It was a dud. The hardest thing to do for a parent is to throw that egg out of the nest. I was the one who did it and the sound of it cracking at the bottom brought tears to both our eyes. At least the other five made it.

For the first month I watched as the chicks began to show their own personality. It was hard to do that and watch the border at the same time but I still somehow managed.

They were old enough by now to know that I had an important job in the pride lands and once I told Conga that it would be her job to take my place, she became quite ecstatic and told everyone who came near the tree that she would take her fathers place one day. Of course everyone thought she was very silly and would just go along with her little story of how great I was.

Conga was also a very adventurous sort, wanting to explore the world and leading her brothers and sisters on adventures around the nest. Once her feathers began to develop I noticed that she was sporting a teal color and had some yellow on her wings, I knew she would grow to be quite a lovely young chick.

Dinari was a shy sort like his mother; he was the quiet one, usually the follower and agreed with everyone. He never argued, he told me it was because he was too shy and just did not want to be yelled at. I hoped that his personality would change eventually but I would have to wait and see. He sported a lighter green color than his sister Conga and had black around the fringes of his wings.

Tiki was a flirt; I found this out one day when returning from an afternoon of patrolling the pride lands. She was talking to a hornbill that was just passing the area telling him how much she liked his wingspan and that she loved his head feathers which were actually sticking up in the air, they looked quite ridiculous and I promptly shooed him away. I got quite a reprimand from Tiki afterwards but after a small spanking she quieted down. She was yellow in color and had white wing fringes so I could see why others found her pretty.

Nuru sadly never really showed a personality mainly because he was the shortest lived chick. The poor thing caught a cold a few days after hatching and for many days he was very sick, staying beside Binti. He would moan and say that his head hurt. Binti even told me that his head was very hot to the touch. Finally after a week of being sick, I called Rafiki over who took him to his tree. Nuru did not return and Rafiki kindly buried him at the base of the tree. It was a sad scene to witness as both of us were there for it while Kalifa babysat. I knew it was part of the circle of life but it was painful to see a child that was yours go like that, especially at such a young age. He had beautiful feathers too, slightly lighter than mine with some black around the wings. It was a shame to loose him.

Then there was Bahati, Bahati was a sweet thing but when things did not go her way, she had quite an attitude about it. Arguing about why her way would be better and if she did not win the argument she would throw a tantrum. It was not a pretty sight and poor Binti was often separating her when I returned from my daily duties, something which became more frequent now that for some reason Simba was more paranoid than ever. Bahati was green with white wing fringes; she was very pretty which I often told her.

Of course watching our children was a chore in and of itself. My job often prevented me from being with them most of the time and poor Binti was exhausted from trying to watch them all day. I tried to get all my work done so I could watch them in the afternoon but something would keep coming up and I would not be home until a few hours before the sun set.

I did not expect parenthood to be that hard. Mufasa and Simba made it look easy, though of course both of them only had one cub each time. I had four of them to deal with. I even wondered if we were that hard for my mom, or maybe my grandfather being there all the time helped and he did keep us occupied with his stories. It made me wish he was still alive.

Of course the first month turned out to be easy, the second month however was the time when the chicks learned to fly and that was when the real work began.

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A/N: Okay I am stopping here because I cannot go any farther and I just think this chapter totally sucks. I hope to have a better chapter next time but don't count on it since I seem to be on a writers block thing. Plus I work nights now and that is usually when I write so it looks like I will not have this finished by the end of December and I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. OH and in case you are wondering, Bahati means "My Luck is Good", Nuru means "Born during the day", Dinari means "Our shining star" Conga and Tiki don't really have meanings I just got them from the Enchanted Tiki Room at the Magic Kingdom. Well hope to see you all later, have a nice week. 


	36. Tragedy

Any body want ice cream? Then come on down to Mrs. Potts in Magic Kingdom I can make you hot fudge brownie sundaes, hot fudge sundaes, Strawberry shortcake sundaes or the basic cone or cup with sprinkles. Cost is at least three dollars so I would suggest you bring five dollars, oh and about a hundred to get into the park. Well on with the story.

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The chicks learned to fly quite well. It was quite frightening to watch them at first because it looked like they would fall out of the nest but they were tough young chicks and were able to hover in the air before me or Binti had to save them.

In a week though, they perfected the art of flying and often went out together to explore the wide unknown. They would always be back by sunset and sometimes I would run into them on their little flights around the pride lands.

I remember one afternoon where I was sitting in a tree watching the outlands and the chicks when Conga came to join me. She loved spending time with me and learning about the job she would take when my time would come. There was always a different question she needed answering and I was always happy to explain it to her.

I saw her fly toward me after Tiki kept acting like a flirt; I could tell she had enough from the face she gave me as she flew toward me.

"I think Tiki is self centered," she told me.

"She just thinks she pretty that's all and she wants to show it off. Don't worry though; you want to know a secret?" I asked her.

"What Dad?" asked Conga.

I smiled at her after she said Dad. It just sounded so wonderful to be called that now, rather than stooge or even dodo bird. "I think that all of you chicks are beautiful, none of you are more beautiful than the other. You are all unique in your own little way," I said.

"You're right about that. Like how Bahati likes those berries over by the gorge. Those things taste so bitter I don't know how she even swallows ten of those things," said Conga.

"Some of us like different tastes," I said.

"Yeah," she said.

Conga stood there for a moment with me, watching the other chicks as they played king of the rock with Dinari being a leader this time until Bahati pushed him off. Conga laughed.

"Hee hee, they're fighting like lions," she said.

"Yes but luckily without the claws," I said.

Conga winced at the thought; our claws were bad enough though not as sharp as any lions that was for sure.

Suddenly Conga gasped and then yelled at Bahati to look out. I jumped and looked to see what she was seeing. That was when I saw the very same creature we were just talking about run up and grab Bahati in the blink of an eye. Tiki and Dinari squealed and flew as fast as they could toward me as I saw the dark lion run off with Bahati crying in his jaws.

I recognized the lion right away too; it was Kovu sporting a growing mane that was only half formed and running back toward the outlands where I saw Nuka waiting for him. There was no way I could save Bahati now. I felt like crying after seeing another chick gone but I had to remain strong. I told the chicks to stay where they were so I could maybe listen to see why the two had crossed the border to kill my daughter.

"Nice job Kovu," said Nuka when I arrived only a minute later.

"So will you respect me now for running out into the pride lands like that?" asked Kovu.

"Pft no, your still a little termite who is no better than me, besides, I only wanted to try hornbill to see what it tastes like so when you conquer the pride lands I want to see if Zazu would be tasty enough for me," said Nuka who then grabbed Bahati out of Kovu's jaws and began to tear at her. I looked away in disgust and sadness, I lost Bahati only because Kovu wanted to impress his big brother but it was not enough for Nuka. I knew the young lion hated Kovu because he was the heir and not him.

I sadly flew back to the pride lands. The chicks needed to go home now; they needed to be in a safe place for the rest of the night and I had to tell Binti the tragic news.

Binti of course was saddened by the news and for most of the night she cried while the remaining three chicks and I tried to comfort her. But it did not work and in the end we all cried our hearts out. That night I made a solemn vow to never trust any outlander and that if any of them showed their face in the pride lands again, Simba would be the first to hear about it.

I told Simba what happened the next morning through tear filled eyes. He shared his sympathy with me since he went through the same thing with Kopa by loosing him to an outlander. Simba had met Bahati before so he was very upset to know that someone he had known was now gone. He even agreed with me to report any outlander caught even with one paw in the pride lands to be reported to him.

Everything was quiet for a while after Kovu's horrible show off at Nuka. I only saw them at a distance when I was watching the borders and both were showing no sign of interest in going near the pride lands. Of course they could be trying to find a new way in so I could not trust them and kept my eyes on them.

But the quiet did not last long. Less than two weeks later something very tragic happened. I was giving Simba a late morning report when Dinari flew right into me and knocked me down. Luckily we both ran into Simba's leg rather than a wall or thin air. Dinari was barely even fazed and jumped up panting with tears forming in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You need to come quick Dad, we saw this hawk right and Tiki like always decided to go and flirt. Well the hawk saw her and without warning he attacked her. Tiki cried for help and luckily Mom was there so she went over to save her but now I think she needs your help, it looks like she's loosing," said Dinari.

I gasped in alarm and looked over at Simba who was looking worried as well.

"Go help her, the morning report can wait, Binti is more important," he said.

With that I was gone in the blink of an eye and followed Dinari toward the rest of the family who were in trouble. When I arrived, I saw Conga standing on a branch and watching the terrible action unfold as Binti was fighting a large hawk who was much larger than her. I knew she could not win by herself.

The hawk was only a few feet away so I could see the hate in his eyes as he dug his talons into Binti's back, causing me to wince from the sight of blood and feathers. Binti tried to fight back by scratching him in the side but the hawk only laughed, his deep gruff voice echoed around us.

"Dad, Mom is loosing terribly, we need to help her," said Conga who did not even look toward me but kept her eyes on Binti.

"Where's Tiki?" I asked remembering why this battle was being fought in the first place.

"Down, there, she hasn't moved since Mom came to save her," said Conga.

I looked down to see the still form of Tiki, she was just a bundle of feathers, unmoving and she looked badly injured.

"Okay go check on her while I help your mother," I said as I flew straight toward the fray between the hawk and my mate.

The hawk had its talons dug deep into Binti's chest when I went to save her. The hawk only laughed at his victory until I suddenly arrived and began pecking at his head.

"Leave my wife alone!" I screamed.

The hawk grunted and looked up at me angrily. I did not stare back at him but looked at Binti who stared back at me, pain filled her eyes as I saw the hawks talons dig deeper into her chest before letting go and throwing her to the ground. I thought about going after her when the hawk stood in front of me eyes blazing.

"So you want to fight rough too huh?" he said.

I knew he was going to try to kill me as well so I had to fly like I never flew before. I had to get him away from my family. He pursued me, coming close enough to touch me but I was fast enough to keep him from doing that. For a long time the pursuit was on, going beyond the boundary of the pride lands and into Daudi's territory. (Tahir's son)

I knew I had to loose him sooner or later and an idea finally popped in my head. I flew toward a nearby bramble bush and quickly went in there for safety. The hawk tried to follow but he was too big. He tried to put his talons on the branches but the thorns were everywhere and now he was frustrated.

"You cheater, come out here and fight me," he cried.

"You expect me to fight you? I know you'll win, I don't have a chance against you," I said in the most flattering way possible.

"That's because you're a coward, you saw what I did to your wife so you don't want to end up like her, it was her fault for even trying to fight me. Your daughter was on my menu and I was hungry," said the hawk.

"But did you really have to hurt her like that?" I asked.

"I was only trying to protect myself as well," said the hawk.

"Then you could have knocked her unconscious rather than tear her apart," I said angrily.

The hawk growled under his breath, I could tell he was not happy arguing with his prey. For a moment he stood there wondering what to do, glaring at me often while I stared back at him, sticking my tongue out from time to time.

"Did I upset you?" I asked in the most sarcastic voice after a long moment of silence.

The hawk said nothing. I could tell he had enough as he took flight and headed in the opposite direction of the pride lands. I knew my family would be safe.

I made sure he was totally gone before I made my way out of the brambles. I could still see his form become smaller and smaller as he disappeared into the horizon. I hoped I would never see him again. Once I felt safe I began my long journey back home to make sure Binti and Tiki were alright. For some reason though I sensed their outcome was not good.

I reached my family a little while later to find Dinari and Conga circled around Binti who was not moving. Both of them saw me fly toward them and they quickly moved out of the way to see if Binti was alright, both had the look of worry on their faces.

There she lay, her eyes half shut. A wing was broken and blood matted her feathers from the marks of the hawk's horrible talons. Her back was literally torn to shreds and her chest had small holes in them from the hawks grip, I knew that he had done his damage on her. I watched as some of her blood flowed freely and coated the grass beside her, turning it into a shiny red color, I knew she was not going to make it but I did not want to think that. But watching her suffer was too much for me to bear before I finally burst into tears and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so sorry," I said through the heavy tears.

"Z-Za-Zazu," she said weakly.

I stopped hugging her and began to cradle her in my arms as she sadly looked up at me. My tears fell down my face and mixed with her blood.

"I love you," her voice was barely audible and I was only able to hear her by putting my face close to hers.

"Don't go Binti, I've only been with you for such a short while," I said.

"Don't worry Zazu, remember what Rafiki said, it's all part of the great circle of life, some live a long life while others are only there for a short while," said Binti.

"No, you're not ready to go yet, I can take you to Rafiki and he can help you get better, you'll be okay in about a month, you'll see," I said.

"Did I save Tiki though?" she asked trying to change the subject.

I looked over at Conga and Dinari who were both crying heavily knowing that their mother was going to the stars soon.

"She's dead," said Conga with heavy tears.

I sighed and looked back down at Binti who had heard Conga's words and then tried to cry but it was too painful to her.

"Take care of the other two; I want to make sure they carry on our legacy and make sure Conga grows up well to be like you," she said with a small smile.

"I'll try," I said as I hugged her again but carefully for I knew she was in a lot of pain.

"May I speak to the children one last time?" she asked.

I nodded and motioned for Conga and Danari to come to her. Both could barely contain themselves as they knelt down beside her.

With her good wing, Binti stroked Dinari's face and gave a weak smile. Dinari tried to smile back but seeing his mother in such a way caused him to burst into tears and hug Binti tightly ignoring the horrible wounds that had inflicted her.

"Don't leave me mom, you were the one who took care of me the most, now I will feel empty without you," he said.

"Don't worry, your father could take that position, now listen to me……. take care of yourself, find the mate of your dreams and…….. go the distance," said Binti.

"I'll try mom," said Dinari sadly as he wiped his beak with his wing as he backed up, letting Conga say her final goodbyes.

Conga walked over to her and looked sadly down at her mother who then began stroking her face like she had done to Dinari. Conga held it and nuzzled her mother. "I know you……. will be a great advisor one day, listen to your father and be…….. wise about what you hear……….. for if you hear the wrong things then they become rumors and rumors spread……….. to lies that cause everyone………. pain," said Binti.

"I'll remember that mother," cried Conga who held onto Binti's wing, too afraid to let go.

I watched her as she looked down at her mother who was slowly fading. I touched Binti's chest and I felt her heart beat slower and slower. I looked over at Conga who gave the look of shock as she felt her mother's wing go limp.

"Mother?" she cried realizing that Binti's pain was now gone.

But there was no response as all three of us watched as Conga let go of her mother's wing. It plummeted to earth and did not rise again.

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A/N: Uh, I hope no one kills me for that. Watches as reviewers give me flames left and right. Don't worry though I have a reason for her death which will be explained in the next chapter and will be the basis of another story when I am done with this one. So you can flame all you want with this chapter, I know there was too much death involved. Oh yeah I work on Thanksgiving this week and I get to work for 50 hours so story time will be cut short for a few days, don't worry I will be back though. Well see you all next time; I have a sudden urge to watch Tarzan now for some reason. 


	37. Another Departure

Oh what a busy week it has been, too much hot chocolate and only one machine. Any way I love the new reply button and if any body wants, feel free to private message me, I would be happy to chat. Well on to another depressing chapter and I believe I have less than five more chapters to go. Not sure though, I'm still trying to figure that out.

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Two weeks passed and the first week was the worst week I had ever experienced in my entire life. For a very long time after Binti passed away in my arms I sat there with Conga and Dinari unable to say a word as all three of us cried our hearts out. We did not know how long time passed but it must have been a while because Simba went looking for me and found us in our mournful state. 

Simba then ran to get Rafiki who was kind enough to take Binti and Tiki back to pride rock with him and bury them at the base of the old tree I used to live in before the fire. I did not sleep that night, I had been so used to Binti lying beside me that every position that I tried to be in just could not suit me. I finally just could not take it any more and just cried my heart out. Dinari and Conga could not sleep that night either and I found both of them curled up together shivering and wanting their mother, I tried to help them but I did not have the same motherly quality as Binti.

For a week I skipped my advisor duties which Simba kindly accepted and let Timon and Pumbaa do it who of course tried everything in their power to make me happy but nothing could cheer me up. I usually stood by the base of the old tree staring at the two mounds of dirt that held my wife and one of my children. Usually the tears would fall like rain and cover the earth until I was too tired to even cry any more and because of that I would often wake up to find that I had fallen asleep beside their bodies.

What was just as devastating though was when Dinari left. He wanted to stay but after a few days he told me that the pride lands held too many bad memories for his young heart to handle. He left one morning heading to the south to find a place to call his own and hopefully raise a family. To this day I don't know if he succeeded.

So for a week it was just me and Conga, but she did not spend much time with me. She was always on her own and I would not see her until late in the evening. I would ask her if she was alright but she would only nod and say nothing before curling up and going to sleep. I knew her mother's death was very traumatic to her.

A week after Dinari left I was sitting on a branch near the waterhole watching a family of zebras, the little foal was being quite a handful and the mother had to keep running after him in fear of loosing him or of a possible predator. I smiled at the little rambunctious child, the first time I smiled in a while probably, but of course that smile turned into a frown when I thought how my family should have been like that. I sighed and tried to swallow my tears back but of course one tear would not give up and trickled down my face.

"Dad?" said a voice beside me.

I looked over at Conga, the only member of my family that I knew of to call me that right now, the only one left.

"Yes Conga?" I asked.

"I'm ready," she said.

My eyes brightened a little, was she ready to train for advisor, something she had dreamed of doing since I told her of her succession.

"So you ready to follow me and learn about the pride lands? Simba said that he can't wait to see you train," I said.

"No Dad, I'm not ready for that, I won't be ready for that for a while," said Conga.

"Oh? Then what are you ready for?" I asked.

"Revenge," she said.

I gasped in shock; I did not know whether to take her seriously or consider it a joke, she was known to say silly things but this one came as a total shock.

"Revenge?" I asked shocked.

"I really want to follow in your footsteps Dad but I feel that the hawk who killed Mom deserves to be punished," she said.

"But Conga, your too young to think these things," I said.

"Dad, I'm not as young as you think, I know all about the birds and the bees, I know all about the circle of life and I know killing for pleasure when I see one," said Conga.

"He wasn't killing for pleasure, he was hungry," I said trying my hardest to get her to change her mind.

"You call laughing in my mothers dying face hunger, I saw the whole thing Dad, Mom even told him once that she had enough but he kept going at it," said Conga.

"But Conga, how are you going to kill a hawk that is at least three times bigger than you?" I asked.

"I don't know and I don't care, I just think he doesn't deserve to live," said Conga.

The fire that suddenly glinted in her eyes told me that she was not going to change her mind. But as a father I knew I had to try to keep her from leaving on that quest.

"But how are you going to find this hawk, you don't even know where he is, I have heard of hawks traveling thousands of miles. And how will you know which one he is, there are probably hundreds that look like him," I said.

"I can't forget that face, that face full of hate and no feeling of sympathy as he dug his talons into my mother. I remember that he had a patch of white on his shoulder, it wasn't too big but it was noticeable," said Conga.

"But I need you here, I need someone to carry on in my place," I said.

Conga looked at me with sadness in her face, it was a look of shock, like she was about to cry but she held back and shook her head before looking down at the grass for a few moments. We were both silent until Conga spoke up.

"That hawk took away something dear to me, and I bet she was to you too. I won't be able to feel her warmth during a cold night or a song from her to put me to sleep. I'll never hear her voice again and tell her of my problems. I watched the whole battle between her and the hawk. I heard her cry in pain when he first dug his talons in her. She was only pecking him to get him to go away but I don't know why he had to try and kill her. He should have known that she was only trying to protect us not fight to the death," said Conga who was now letting the tears stream down her face.

I let a few tears flow down myself but I held my posture of a father. "She was special to me too Conga, but its something we can't change, she died trying to save you guys and that was all that mattered to her in the last moments of her life," I said.

"I'm still going out there, I don't know how long it will take, or if I will ever return but if I do, it means I succeeded," said Conga.

"But I really need someone to take my place when I cannot be an advisor any more," I said.

"Will you get off of that Dad; I don't care about that job right now! I care about avenging my mother. I don't want to live the rest of my life knowing that there is a killer on the loose. He could do it again with those hate filled eyes while his gruff voice echoes all around those who watch the one he is killing suffer. And if I die trying then at least I tried," said Conga.

"But I will be so lonely without you," I said sadly.

"You have Simba to talk to every day, you and that special Morning Report of yours, no one gives a damn about it but you, I have watched Simba, he may look interested but he is only faking it, I can see it in his eyes," said Conga.

The words that came out of her mouth broke my heart, I wanted to yell back at her, strike her for saying such horrible things, but I couldn't. I did not want to end up like Binti's dad who had to be sedated before she could fly away from him. I knew I had to let her go.

"I love you Daddy, but you do take your job too seriously. Mom probably would have lived if you were there when it happened instead of chatting with Simba," said Conga.

"That's probably true," I said not knowing what else to say, she was winning the argument and I was lowering myself to her. Something I should not have done but I was still depressed right now and I just did not have the energy.

"I promise I will return if I succeed, it may be months, it may be years I promise to come back to you when the time is right," said Conga.

I nodded. "If you want to do so badly, then go right ahead, I won't stop you. I know if I hold you back you will keep trying and then our relationship would probably not be good," I said.

Conga looked at me and gave a small smile before giving me a quick hug. "I won't let you down Dad," she said.

"Be safe and if you can, try to get some messenger finches to send me information on you," I said.

"I'll try," said Conga.

We both stared at each other for a long time before Conga finally lifted herself out of the branch and gave a quick wave. She then headed to the west, toward the jungles first, the most dangerous place for a fledgling to be.

I watched her go until she was a mere speck in the distance. Once she was out of sight I looked around at the waterhole and noticed that I was the only one there, I had now returned to the lonely life of the bachelor again but this time it was with a heavy heart.

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A/N: Yay I finished the chapter. Just a quick little one which kinda gives you a hint of another story. Hope you all liked that chapter and please review. I'll update when I can again. So see you all real soon. 

Zorro: Oh my God I thought you turned into Pixie dust!

Narfgirl: No that was only a joke to confuse you.

Zorro: A joke! OMG! WTF! BBQ!

Narfgirl hits Zorro on the head. Good night everyone, I'm going to bed.


	38. Kovu

Well I hope to finish this story before the year ends; I plan to have four more chapters which includes this one if everything goes well. Besides I don't want to leave you all hanging with one more chapter before I leave you all for three weeks when my mom comes down to Florida so she can get a tan and I will be without internet since my grandmother has no connection, yeah I have to suffer three more weeks, I'm just ready to go home now. Well I will shut up now and start the chapter.

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Three months went by and my life was the same way as it was those years ago when Mufasa was around, but this time everything felt quieter and my job seemed less fulfilling. Kalifa still stopped by from time to time and when I told her the news of Binti's death, she was devastated. She was even more sad to hear that every one of my offspring were now gone. She felt so bad for me that she stayed for a week, cheering me up and remembering old times.

I tried to keep Binti off the subject, I did not want to cry in front of her, I wanted to remain strong and show her how much of a big brother I was to her. I did cry a few times but it was only for a little while.

I felt a little better after she left but that's when I began to notice the things that Conga told me. Simba did look like he was faking it and most of the animals seemed to give me an angry look every time I was near.

But I pretended I did not notice and worried about the more important things like Kiara's first hunt. The night before was filled with excitement as Kiara told everyone how she would be hunting and how proud she would make Simba. It was a very long night for some lionesses who just wanted to sleep rather than hear her banter, truthfully I was one of them, and luckily for me the night was warm so I found a nice tree branch to sleep on until morning arrived.

When the time came for Kiara to start her first hunt the next day, all the lionesses, Rafiki, and Timon and Pumbaa gathered around to watch her descend down pride rock and walk up to Simba and Nala who both stood at the edge and waited for her to arrive.

We all watched as Kiara made her way down toward Simba and Nala. All the lionesses congratulated her saying how big she had gotten and good luck with the hunt. It was hard to believe that a small cub like her would grow into such a beautiful young lioness. She had a very cheerful looking face and her fur color seemed to be mixed with Simba and Nala's, I could not imagine what she looked like if she became queen.

Kiara then walked up to her parents and nuzzled Nala before begging Simba to promise not to spy on her while she was hunting on her own. Simba of course was reluctant with this seeing how he did not want to loose another cub but in the end he sort of agreed to let her go but not without Timon and Pumbaa quickly following behind.

Once Kiara's initiation was complete, the lionesses returned to basking in the sun save for Simba who walked back and forth on Pride Rock. I knew he was nervous about Kiara starting her first hunt and I did not blame him, I felt the same way too when the chicks began their flights out into the open alone.

"Oh I should have trained her instead of letting her do it on her own," said Simba after pacing so many times that I almost felt dizzy from watching him.

"Oh she would have probably wanted her mother to train her seeing as how male lions have a different way of hunting," I told him.

"Either way I wish I would have done that, now she is out there all alone probably getting hurt," said Simba.

I thought of all those times my offspring were out on their own, Simba was a lot like I was, nervous. Luckily I had Binti beside me to help calm me down; too bad she was not there to help Simba.

"Timon and Pumbaa are out there watching her sir, I know they will tell you if anything goes wrong," I said.

"Yeah but they loose her all the time and this time I know they most likely will," said Simba who then began to make a frustrated growl under his breath.

"Don't worry Simba, she'll be fine. What could happen?" I said.

I spoke too soon though. A second later Simba let out a gasp as he saw what was happening in the horizon. The savanna was on fire.

"Zazu fly ahead!" he cried as he ran down Pride Rock toward the fire.

I quickly did my bidding and flew as fast as I could to find her. Hopefully she was somewhere else away from the fire and trying to find a better place to hunt. Of course when I looked at all the safe places, Kiara was nowhere near there and I knew she must have hunted where the fire was. I now felt very nervous for her.

I flew toward the fire, battling smoke and avoiding the places where the fire was high up in the air. I finally found her though. She had fallen into the river, and someone was with her, a stranger. She looked to be unconscious while the stranger brought her to shore.

"I must tell Simba," I said worriedly and flew as fast as I could to find him.

I did not have to go far; I found him a little ways away trying to calm Timon and Pumbaa down as both were telling him how they lost her again. I quickly flew over and landed between the three.

"Sire I found her by the river and someone is with her," I said.

"Oh thank goodness," said Simba who then ran without saying another word toward the river.

I looked back at Timon and Pumbaa, who both gave me a sheepish grin.

"So how did you loose her this time?" I asked. I was always amused by their excuses.

"Uh well…" said Pumbaa.

"She saw us following her," said Timon.

I slapped my head, those two really needed to learn how to stay camouflaged when tracking someone.

"Well I better go see if she is alright, you two head back to Pride Rock, you two look like you need a bath after running around in this stuff," I said.

"Oh so you're the king now I see," said Timon.

"No I am just giving you advice, I am an advisor that is my job," I said.

"I thought we were advisors now," said Timon who was obviously trying my patience.

"That was only for a week, when I was in mourning okay, don't annoy me right now," I said.

"Yes Sir Mr. Grumpy," said Timon.

I sighed and shook my head; those two could be a real pain but at least they tried. I quickly took flight and headed toward Simba to make sure everything was alright.

I arrived just in time to find Simba roaring with the lion who had tried to save Kiara. Kiara was standing nearby with Nala; both seemed to try to stop them. I stared at the other lion, I did not recognize him at first but then I realized it was Kovu, sporting a mane and looking very menacing. My feathers stood on end; he brought Kiara out of the river, what he probably would have done after I did not want to know.

"Hey! You! How dare you save the kings daughter!" came a voice from behind me. It was Rafiki; he must have seen the whole thing.

Simba looked at Rafiki confused by what he said, but Rafiki disappeared before he could question him, Simba then turned back to Kovu and glared at him. "You saved her? Why?" he asked.

"I humbly ask to join your pride," said Kovu silently.

"No! You were banished with the other outsiders," said Simba who began to stalk him but Kovu held his ground. Zira must have trained him well.

"I have left the outsiders, I am a rogue. Judge me now for what I am or am I to be blamed for a crime I didn't commit," said Kovu obviously referring to Kopa's death that his mother had planned on the day he was born.

Simba growled and paced back and forth, I knew I had to fly down and help him decide what to do.

"Simba you owe him your daughters life," said Nala.

"Yes Sire. Clearly we are in his debt, and royal protocol demands that all debts be paid but in this case you might want to make an exception," I said as I glared at Kovu remembering the time he killed Bahati just to show off. Kovu looked at me slightly confused; of course he would though he probably had no idea that she was my daughter.

"My father's law will prevail. For now I reserve judgment. We'll see who you really are," said Simba who then turned around and began leading the pride back to Pride Rock. Kovu looked down at me, I quickly gave him the cold shoulder, I did not trust him in any way, shape or form.

"Riffraff," I said and flew away heading back to Pride Rock with the rest of the pride. Hoping that nothing bad would happen during the night.

I was surprised to wake up the next morning to find Simba still alive. He was still in the same place with Nala sound asleep and Kovu was still outside where Simba made him sleep when he arrived. Feeling that everything was safe and secure I decided to go out and do my morning report, I would discuss Kovu with Simba once I was done with that job.

I returned a few hours later to find Simba lying out in the shade watching the horizon, I could see the look of worry in his eyes and I knew that Kovu was on his mind.

"Good morning Sire," I said.

"Morning Zazu," said Simba who then gave a big yawn.

"Still sleepy sire?" I asked.

"Yeah I had a bad dream last night," said Simba.

"About Kovu?" I asked.

Simba nodded and sighed as he looked back over the horizon. He was out there somewhere with Kiara. I had seen them earlier; he was teaching her how to hunt.

"Do you think he really left the outlands on his own free will?" I asked.

"I sense Zira put him up to it, but of course he will deny it, I'm watching him carefully and if it's alright I want you to do the same," said Simba.

"Yes sir, I will watch him day and night if I have to, I know those outlanders sneaky ways," I said.

"Thank you Zazu. Any news on the savanna?" asked Simba.

"Just a few complaints about the jackals being too worrisome around the young animals, they say the wander around the water hole and watch the young as they play in the water," I said.

"I'll look into that a little later then, thanks for telling me," said Simba.

I nodded and proceeded to fly off but was quickly stopped by Simba.

"Zazu," he said.

"Yes Sire?" I asked as I folded my wings back and turned to him.

"Everything okay with you right now," he asked.

I knew he was talking about Binti and I gave a small frown but held my posture. "Yeah I'm fine, it's been three months, it took a while to adjust but I think I am okay now," I said.

"Good, if I said this a million times already I apologize, but I am sorry about what happened and if you ever feel the need of leaving your advising duties go right ahead. Timon and Pumbaa can take over until I can find a replacement," said Simba.

"Thank you sire, but I have no need for that now; I am still fit to do your bidding," I said.

"Well if you ever do change your mind, just tell me, and if you ever need someone to talk to you can talk to me, I went through the same thing as you and I can try to help," said Simba.

Thank you sire," I said in a whisper trying my hardest not to cry, these days I cried very easily and I had never really did it on anyone's shoulder, just alone hiding somewhere where no one could see me.

"Have you heard from Conga at all?" asked Simba.

"Not a word sire," I said still trying to hold back the tears.

"Zazu its okay, let it out," said Simba.

I looked up at Simba with mournful eyes and without another thought I launched myself at him and hugged him tightly while I let the tears flow down my face. At that moment I realized that having someone there for you was the most important thing in the world. Simba's body was warm and comforting and I wanted to stay there all day.

For the rest of the day, he stood by my side, telling me how he felt when he was with Timon and Pumbaa. He wanted to let it all out when he was with his two step parents but he just did not want to reveal anything to them, he did not want to be judged. Simba told me that he often went out on his own and just cried for hours before he returned to Timon and Pumbaa who seemed to have never noticed his absence.

That evening we stood out on a hill watching Kiara and Kovu as they stared up at the stars. They must have had a successful day of hunting because they both seemed to enjoy each others company.

"Do you still trust him sire?" I asked.

"I don't know, I'm not sure what he is thinking right now," said Simba.

"He seems to be happier here," I said.

"Perhaps but he could only be faking it," said Simba.

"True, you may never know what is cooking in that mind of his," I said.

"I know he was not involved in Kopa's death but I do know he was involved with Zira, she even said he would be the cause of my demise," said Simba.

I said nothing but watched as Kiara and Kovu stood up and both embraced each other under the stars. It was truly romantic but it did make me wonder if he loved her. I gave a loud yawn realizing that I had a long, hard day with Simba crying my heart out.

"Well Sire, it was nice to spend the day with you but I am exhausted now. I will see you tomorrow with the morning report," I said.

"Goodnight then Zazu, and remember if you ever need a shoulder to cry on feel free to see me," said Simba.

I nodded and flew back to Pride Rock while Simba continued to watch both of the young lions. I meanwhile had the best sleep I had ever had in a very long time.

Morning arrived and I found Simba had gone off with Kovu. I knew Simba had made up his mind the night before and was now deciding to get to know him a bit more and to of course give him a private talk.

I decided to go about doing my morning routine just in case Simba wanted to know about it after he talked to Kovu, of course it could take quite a while or he could be back before the sun was high up in the sky.

While I did my rounds, I met up with Kiara, Timon, and Pumbaa. They were all lying out near a tree talking about the activities that went on the day before. I found out from them that it was quite interesting.

"You guys really know how to teach someone how to have a good time," said Kiara as I arrived at their little conversation.

"Yeah you know our motto, Hakuna Matata well having fun is probably the most important part of that motto so we try to teach others how to have fun," said Timon.

"Yeah and you did a good job doing that by the way, Kovu seems much more happier now," said Kiara.

"We should have taught him how to wallow in mud huh Pumbaa," said Timon.

Pumbaa only nodded.

"But remember you can't have fun all the time," I said from my perch.

"We know Zazu, we know. Do you really have to be a party pooper?" asked Timon.

"Well Kovu does need to learn a few other things besides having fun, such as who Scar really was, she probably corrupted his mind terribly. He probably also needs to learn how to not be a killer," I said.

"Yeah, he was stuck up at first like he knew everything but now I can tell that he wants to change," said Kiara.

"Who knows though, he could be faking it," I said.

"No way, I think Kovu will change, you all just don't trust him because you have not been around him much," said Kiara.

I sighed; I could tell Kiara was not going to give up on him, no matter what. But that was until I saw something in the distance. Something moving toward us slowly. I squinted my eyes and saw that it was Simba and he looked hurt.

"Kiara look," I said.

Kiara turned to where I was pointing and saw her father limp toward her. He did not look good.

"Father... Father! Zazu get help!" she cried.

"Yes of course… at once," I said nervously as I flew back toward Pride Rock.

I knew at that instant our fears were realized; Kovu had tried to kill Simba.

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A/N: Yeah that chapter was lame, but I don't care I want to finish this story. So if anything seems to be going too fast, I'm sorry. I have three chapters left to go that I hope will be finished before the end of the month. Well please review any way. Hope you all have a great week. 


	39. War and forgiveness

Well here's another lame chapter for everyone. Hope you all enjoy it. I'm just making up ideas as I go along too. It's so much fun that way. Well time to start.

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Simba was returned to Pride Rock with the help of Pumbaa and Kiara who carried him. I would say that Timon also helped but he could only carry the tail. The strange sight of Simba being carried though caused a commotion of curiosity of the pride land animals who then followed us back to Pride Rock to hear what might happen to Simba. 

Luckily Simba only received a few cuts and lacerations so he was not critically injured. He would have to rest for a few days and then he would be good as new.

"So what happened Sire?" I asked. All the lionesses joined in with me and circled him.

"Hey give him some air," said Nala as she pushed a few back who were too close.

Simba gave a small grunt of pain for a moment before speaking up. "I was just walking with Kovu, telling him about Scar when suddenly Zira and her pride appear. Without warning they attack me. I tried to fight back but there were too many of them, so I ran up that log dam hoping to loose them that way. It did work but of course one had to follow, Nuka. He was trying to impress his mother, he did catch me once but I was able to make him let go by causing an avalanche of logs. For a while I ran before they all tried to catch up and once I felt safe I slowed down, but that was when I felt the affects of the fight enter me and so I felt I could not go any farther, I'm glad you saw me Kiara," Simba finished.

"Actually Zazu saw you first," said Kiara who looked up at me.

Simba looked at me and smiled. "Good old Zazu," he said.

"I guess this means that Kovu is still under his mothers spell," I said.

"Yes, I think so as well, he lured me into a trap that I stupidly followed," said Simba.

"But Daddy it can't be true," said Kiara who of course could not believe a word of it.

Suddenly a commotion was heard from the bottom of Pride Rock and everyone turned to see what was happening.

"It's Kovu," a giraffe said.

Ignoring his injuries Simba jumped up to investigate. Kovu was walking slowly toward Pride Rock looking up at all the animals as they stared angrily at him. They all knew of his horrible act of trying to kill Simba and they all were not happy with him.

As he got closer, I noticed something new on his feature. He now had a scar over his left eye, the same kind of scar Scar had.

"Why have you come back?" asked Simba once Kovu was close enough to talk to.

"Simba I had nothing to do with…" said Kovu but he was stopped by Simba.

"You don't belong here," said Simba angrily.

"Please…I ask your forgiveness," said Kovu. He sounded so sincere that I wanted to help him but I did not want to heighten Simba's anger further.

"Daddy, please listen to him," said Kiara as loud as she could, but her please were ignored.

"Silence!" Simba roared at Kiara. "When you first came here you asked for judgment, and I pass it now," Simba said it with such force that all of us were quiet ready to hear the judgment he was about to give, we all knew it was not going to be good.

"EXILE!" he roared.

As if by command, all the animals began to stamp their feet make noises as a few of the animals began to push Kovu away from Pride Rock. Kovu backed away and was nearly pinned against the wall before he made a break for it. He began to run but was intercepted by the monkeys who threw rocks at him before some ostriches attacked him as he ran. Other animals did their fare share of attacking him for his injury to the king. I felt bad, but I knew traitors had to be dealt with properly. Finally once he was far enough away from Pride Rock, the storks flew in and pecked at him until they knew he had enough.

We then saw him walk away alone, probably back to Zira to tell her that another plan failed or to some place else. I would not know until later.

Simba continued to stand on Pride Rock watching the horizon for any more outlanders coming his way. Kiara who had been trying to catch Kovu the entire time, but was stopped by the other lionesses ran up to Simba angrily.

"Father please, reconsider," she said.

"You will not go any where without an escort from now on," said Simba never taking his eyes off the horizon.

"No! That's not…" said Kiara but was again interrupted by Simba.

"He used you to get to me," said Simba.

"No! He loves me for me," said Kiara trying her hardest to get Simba to agree.

"Because you are my daughter, you will not leave Pride Rock. You will stay where I can keep an eye on you, away from him," said Simba who stood at eye level with her, close enough to bite her nose off if he wanted to with all the anger he was venting out.

"You don't know him," said Kiara.

"I know he is following in Scar's pawprints, and I must follow in my fathers," said Simba who then turned away from her and looked at the horizon again.

"You will never be Mufasa!" Kiara screamed.

Simba gasped and turned to her but she had run to the cave to get away from him. I could not believe she would say that, I agreed with her but I would never tell it to him myself, that was just a terrible thing to tell anyone.

"My goodness that did not go very well at all did it," I said as I perched myself on Simba's shoulder.

"No it didn't," said Simba with a sigh.

"She and Conga would have been perfect together," I told Simba, Simba only nodded.

"Right now I don't trust Zira, do me a favor please and go to the border and watch her, she may be up to something," said Simba.

"Yes sire," I said and flew out to the outland border to spend a few hours watching for any signs of danger.

A storm was approaching; I could see the clouds build as I made my way to the pride land and outland border. I tried to ignore it but it looked like it was going to be a big storm. I hated trying to fly through it while delivering messages since it took me longer to get them delivered.

I arrived at the tree where our nest was once held and stood on a branch and looked around for any signs of an outlander. All was quiet at first until I saw something move in the grass. I adjusted my eyes to the spot and that's when I saw her. It was Zira and she was heading this way.

I flew in for a closer look and discovered that she was not the only one. The rest of her followers were with her and it was much larger than the last time I saw them those few years ago when Kopa was killed. They all looked like they were on a mission and one mission only, to take over the pride lands. I knew that they knew Simba was weaker after the fight earlier that day so they knew it would be easier to kill him.

I watched them as they crossed the border and head toward Pride Rock. I knew I had to warn Simba before it was too late so as fast as I could I flew back in the rain.

I reached them a little while later to find Simba trying to calm Timon and Pumbaa down who both seemed to have lost Kiara again. Kiara going missing was not really that important; I had to tell Simba the news before anything bad could happen.

"Sire the outsiders are on the attack headed this way, its war!" I said in a panic.

Simba gasped and quickly made a decision. "Zazu find Kiara. We'll assemble the lionesses, move now!" he said.

I quickly flew out of the cave, I had another job to do and this time it was to find Kiara wherever she was. I knew though that she must have run away to find Kovu and that Kovu was probably with her. I did not like the sound of that, what if Kovu only pretended to help and then turned his back on Kiara and killed Simba. That worried me, I was going to make sure he would make a promise with me.

It took me forever to find them too; I found them both running back toward the pride lands. They must have known that something bad was going to happen, I had to fly in and tell them.

"Kiara, Kovu, I'm so glad I found you, your father is looking for you Kiara," I said.

"Oh good because we came back to help set things right," said Kiara.

"He needs your help too, Zira is coming, they are going into battle," I said as the rain began to beat down hard on us.

"She's doing it already, probably because he accidentally killed Nuka, she wants even more revenge now," said Kovu.

"So you're going to help defeat your mother?" I asked.

"I'm gonna try to talk to her, maybe sort everything out of that brain of hers," said Kovu.

"So you're not tricking any of us and plan to attack Simba without warning?" I asked in a serious voice.

"No I learned that Simba was not the cold cruel killer that my mother called him, Simba is just and the true king," said Kovu who sounded like he was getting impatient with me and was about to run right past me.

"You're not going any where unless you promise that you are helping Simba," I said as I flew into his face.

"Zazu! We don't have time for this!" said Kiara.

"It's okay Kiara, I can understand why no one still trusts me," said Kovu who then raised one of his paws that formed for a fist save for the little toe that stuck out while he gave me a serious look. "Promise," he said.

For a moment I stood back, unsure of whether or not to trust the outsider, would he grab me and then kill me like he did to Bahati. I sighed and pulled out my wing and gave him the smallest feather I had out to him. Kovu then carefully grabbed it and for a moment we were one. Kovu then looked back at me, tears filled his eyes.

"I'm so sorry," he said.

I stared at him, did he know what he did those three months ago with Nuka who was now dead for trying to kill Simba. At that moment, I trusted him, he was not the same evil adolescent I saw the few months ago, he had changed and it was all thanks to Kiara.

"We will talk about it later," I said with an understanding voice.

Kovu only nodded and looked down at the ground it was like he was firmly planted for a moment, until Kiara broke the silence.

"Can we please go?" she asked.

"Oh dear I almost forgot, come on, lets go help your father," said Kovu.

Without another word the two adolescents and I made our way back to the pride, hoping we would not be too late.

We arrive just in the nick of time too, the battle was now at the climax with Simba and Zira, both had their claws raised ready to release the final blow when Kovu and Kiara jumped into the middle of the fray. Zira and Simba gave a startled look seeing both their children again. I stood on top of a nearby rock and watched the scene unfold.

"Kovu….move!" said Zira angrily.

"Stand aside," Simba said to Kiara.

"Daddy this has to stop," said Kiara.

Zira only growled while she glared at Kovu. "You're even weaker than I thought, get out of the way," she said.

"You'll never hurt Kiara or Simba, not while I'm here," said Kovu.

Zira gave a look of shock while Simba only growled at Kiara.

"Stay out of this," he said.

Kiara only ignored him and spoke up. "A wise king once told me "we are one" I didn't understand him then, now I do," she said in a calm voice.

"But…they…." Began Simba.

Them, us, look at them, they are us. What differences do you see?" she asked as all the lions looked around at each other realizing that Kiara was right. For a moment there was silence while the rain began to dissipate and the clouds cleared as if Kiara's words had moved the great kings. Simba looked up at the sky and saw how clear it became, at that moment he knew his daughter was right. He then walked up to her and gave her a hug.

"Vitani…now," said Zira to a golden colored lioness behind her. Zira was still not going to stop at her quest for vengeance.

"No Mother….Kiara's right." Said the young lioness as she limped over to join Simba's side. "Enough," she said.

So it seemed that Zira's own daughter turned against her now but what did the other lionesses think. I looked around and saw as they all murmured together, wondering what to do.

"If you will not fight, then you will die as well," said Zira with anger in her voice.

As she said those words, the lioness began to make up their minds about the whole situation. They began to side with Simba as they realized that they were being ruled under lies and false hope.

"Where are you going, get back here," growled Zira.

"Let it go Zira, its time to put the past behind us," said Simba who was now leading the entire two sides of the pride.

"I'll never let it go," she roared.

Then without warning, Zira leapt at Simba, ready to tear him apart but instead Kiara intervened. She hit her so hard that both fell back into the gorge behind them while at the same time the log dam began to break sending water flying out. Turning it into a raging river.

Simba ran down to save them as both clung to life on the side of the rocks. I saw that Kiara was lucky she was able to land on a small protrusion on the canyon wall while Zira clung to life below her trying to get back up.

Kiara reached out her paw telling Zira that she would help her but Zira swiped at her. Kiara would not give up and reached out with her paw again. But instead Zira gave up and plunged down into the raging river below where she was never seen again. The legacy of Scar's rule was now over.

Simba climbed down to Kiara and helped her climb back up to the pride who were all waiting for them to arrive. As soon as Kiara reached the top, Kovu ran up to Kiara and cuddled with her. Simba watched them for a moment before finally interrupting them.

"Kovu," said Simba.

Kovu looked up at Simba and walked up to him with a small smile on his face.

"I was wrong, you belong here, lets go home," Simba said.

As he said this, the lionesses of Zira's pride walked up to him wondering what would happen to them. Simba smiled at them.

"All of us," he said.

We all made our way back to Pride Rock in good spirits. Everyone was happy now that the two prides were now a team, no more friction and we now had a bigger pride. When we returned, I was sent to go fetch Rafiki an hour later who was needed to tend to some lionesses wounds, but he was also needed for a more important reason.

Kovu and Kiara were going to be wed.

It was a simple ceremony just like the one me and Binti had though now I was on the sidelines watching and trying to shield myself from incoming tears and mucus from Timon and Pumbaa who stood beside me acting like goons.

Once their marriage was finished. Simba and Nala led the way to the tip of Pride Rock with Kovu and Kiara right behind. Once they reached the tip. Simba let out a loud roar followed by Nala. They then turned to Kovu who let out a roar as well. Soon all four of them roared in unison causing the rest of the pride to follow and do the same. We were now joined together, we were now at peace.

The rest of the day was spent chatting with other lionesses getting to know them and how they became part of Zira's pride. Some of the stories where quite sad, while others were quite interesting.

I wanted to speak with Kovu that day but he kept getting attacked by the old lions of Simba's pride wanting to know what it was like being trained to be a killer. So I decided to wait for another time when we could both be alone and discuss some issues.

I did not have to wait long though. I was awakened the next morning by Kovu who called out my name.

"Yes what is it?" I asked with a yawn.

"Sorry to wake you so early but I noticed yesterday that you wanted to talk to me is it alright that we do it now, we could watch the sun rise together," said Kovu.

"Sure why not," I said as I gave a quick stretch and followed Kovu out of the den.

We made our way up Pride Rock to the top where most of the special conversations occur. The sky was still dark and the stars were still out. You could see a hint of light in the distance though as the sun would rise in less than an hour. Kovu looked out into the land and gave a big sigh.

"I'm gonna help Kiara rule this one day," he said in a dreamy tone, it didn't sound happy or sad.

I only nodded, as I waited for him to say something about those three months ago when my life started to change forever.

"But that's something Simba and I should be really talking about, I know we are here because of something I did three months ago that caused you such pain," he said.

"How did you know she was my daughter?" I asked.

"Nuka and I had been watching you for a long time as you took care of your chicks. The night before the incident he told me that he would respect me more if I was brave enough to enter the pride lands and kill one of your chicks. I believed him and agreed on the idea. So that day, like you saw me do, I snatched her up and showed her to Nuka who just grabbed her out of my jaws and told me that I was still a termite and that he would never respect me, for the rest of the day too he made me feel guilty about the whole incident and I felt so bad by the end of the night that when he laughed at me again I turned around and attacked him. He was not badly injured but that shut him up for a few days," said Kovu.

"So you only did it to make Nuka like you?" I asked in a kind way.

Kovu nodded and looked down at the ground. I could tell his mind had been filled with guilt from the incident since he knew I saw the whole thing.

"I'm so sorry, I wish I was never taught to hate this pride, I probably would never have this scar and we probably would have never had this battle over the land that is rightfully Simba's," said Kovu.

"Don't worry Kovu, with that sincerity in your eyes, it would be hard not to forgive you, and it would have been nice if we took you in and kicked Zira out instead," I told him.

"I know that would have been nice, where is your mate, I wanted to apologize to her as well," said Kovu.

I sighed I really did not want to tell him but I knew I had to; it was only two weeks after he killed Bahati too.

"She's gone Kovu, and so is the rest of my family," I said unable to look at him.

"I'm sorry, but your not alone, all I have is Vitani and I don't even know who my father is," said Kovu.

"I guess we are more alike than we think, huh," I said.

"Yeah," said Kovu.

We both stood watching the horizon for a few more moments the light was getting a little brighter but the sun would still not arrive for a long time.

"Did your mother or Simba tell you what happened on the day of your birth?" I asked.

"Well she told me that Simba kicked her out for giving birth to me, I know that can't be true," he said.

"It's not; Simba had another child, a boy named Kopa. One of your mother's followers killed him after Nuka led him into a trap. Binti, my mate saw the whole thing, too bad she is not around any more then she could tell you everything. But Simba found his body and a few hours later he killed Leza who was Zira's follower and told Zira to leave" I told him.

Kovu gasped. "So that's everything that happened. My mother told me that he killed Leza because she was begging to stay, they were great friends that's probably why mom told her to kill Kopa," said Kovu.

"Yeah it was a hard day for everyone even Binti, the poor thing was crying for hours," I told him.

Kovu nodded and remained silent. I did as well watching the horizon for any signs of the sun. I had forgiven Kovu and I was now accepting him as a member of the pride. I trusted him; he had a kind heart that was lead astray at an early age. While we stood there I thought about what he would be like as King of the pride lands. He would probably be a good king and a great mate to Kiara. I knew their children would turn out beautifully and I knew I would be there for them until my wings could no longer fly on earth but to the great kings in the stars.

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A/N: Whoa sappiness alert. Hope you liked it though. I liked how long it was, even though it did go really fast but I don't care you hav a problem with that then just go sit in the corner and have a time out, good boy. My next chapter will be interesting and you will see why when it comes up. Can you believe it two more chapters left and like MorpheusDreamer said I have been working on this since before he arrived, that's crazy. 

Oh yeah and before I forget, I was discussing this with SunRise19 and I was hoping maybe one of you guys could explain it. In the scene where Kovu and Kiara are both spending time together after Kovu was banished you noticed that it was night. But when we switch back to Simba and the rest of the pride it's raining and it looks like it was day time. Another weird thing is how Kovu and Kiara are not dealing with any rain while Simba is and there is not a cloud in the sky. Then once the fight is over its day again like a fight happened that afternoon. What the hell, it's so confusing and it's hurting my little brain. Stupid Disney animators.

Oh yeah and here is my schedule for posting up these stories. The next chapter will be up next Sunday, and then I will not post the last chapter until possibly the Wednesday after Christmas. Don't want to post it immediately on Christmas or after so in-between is good. Once the story is over you will not hear from me for about three weeks so I didn't die if you all wonder that, eh I'll explain again incase you all forget. Well I will shut up now and let you all go while you review or run off without reviewing which is fine by me I'm actually surprised I have gotten this many reviews, I thought I would only get about a hundred. Well here I go chatting away like Ban'ai I really need to learn to shut up, ehat least I am notlike Zorro.Okay bye.


	40. Depression

Ladies and Gentlemen I have an announcement to make………………………I am a stinky drool face. I would have been like Peter Griffin of Family Guy and said testicles, but I did not want to scare anyone. Any way, thank you for your time, now on with the chapter.

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It was about a month after the outsiders were invited to be part of the pride. There had been no squabbles or any problems with Simba being king; in fact I think the lionesses knew that deep inside Zira was wrong all along. 

Everyone seemed to be happy; some of the lionesses were getting more fit after living in the horrible conditions of the outlands. Vitani, Kovu's sister now felt she had her place among the pride by being the Queens official consort.

Kovu and Kiara were closer since they first met, often alone together enjoying each others company. They had no plans to have children until they became leaders of the pride and both hoped to have more than one cub.

Simba was getting to know Kovu a lot better, it took Simba a while to really feel safe around Kovu but after a while Simba began to tell jokes around him and he became less tense. After a while they both would usually spend their mornings on top of pride rock, discussing the importances of being a king.

I was probably the only one who did not feel complete. Some days I was happy, enjoying the company of the new lionesses of the pride and then learning about their history. While other days I just felt so alone and often found myself alone near the waterhole or at the old nest where I had raised the chicks. I never received word on whether or not Conga was still alive. I did get info on Dinari once though. He was doing well down in the south, he had made friends with an okapi who was partially blind and was acting as a guide to him.

It was good to know that he was okay; I just wished he was doing it up here with me where I was alone and wanted someone else as company.

It was one afternoon when I was standing at the edge of the waterhole looking at my reflection and wondering if my life was worth living still. Of course I was still advisor but it just was not the same, I felt like I was repeating myself daily and problems seemed to be less frequent out there.

I stared at my reflection in the water, my feathers looked so matted, my eyes so sad and tired looking. It looked like I had not slept in ages, but I slept well all the time, it must have been the sadness in my life. My color did not seem to have the same shine as it did and I felt that I just looked like a total mess.

I looked down at the water, it looked so inviting, so peaceful, and a perfect place to forget your problems. I wanted to see Binti again. I wanted life to be the way it was for those three years we were together, three wonderful years, not long enough for someone who lived alone longer than that. I wanted to feel Binti's warmth beside me as I slept; I wanted to have another family again, one that was just as perfect as it was when the eggs were still forming and me standing on the tallest branch surveying the pride lands.

I took a small step in the water, it was cool from the afternoon rain and I felt a chill run down my spine. Would I really end my life here, in this waterhole where so many memories began? Where I chased Simba as a cub before that fateful day with the hyenas. Where I met Tafari, it made me wonder what happened to that old giraffe, was he still alive or did old age take him? Where I met Binti for the first time, that day felt like only yesterday when I first met her and felt the real feeling of true love.

I sighed and took another step, this time the water was above my legs any moment now I could dive under, loose my life the same way Zira lost hers.

"Hello my little blue friend," said a voice from behind me that startled me so bad that I slipped and landed in the water. I felt a hand grab me and pick me up out of the water. It was Rafiki and he looked at me with a worried expression.

"You were not doing what I think you were doing were you?" he asked in a serious tone.

I shook water out from my ears and looked sadly at Rafiki who instantly got the message.

"You know that does not solve problems, you still have others who love you, I mean I enjoy your company immensely," said Rafiki.

"I'm sorry Rafiki, I just have not been feeling myself lately," I said.

"Oh people get that all the time, it's a normal part of life," said Rafiki who continued to look at me worriedly.

I nodded and remained silent for a moment. "Rafiki, do you ever feel alone?" I asked him.

"Oh sometimes. But that's usually when my meditations are too quiet and the great kings are not responding to me. But I enjoy my lonely life in that tree, besides I know that my time will come in a few years, so loneliness is the least of my worries," he told me.

I sighed; Rafiki was such an easy person to please. "Then if I have been alone most of my life then why do I feel such sorrow even if its been four months, I thought sadness only lasted a month or a little more," I told him.

Rafiki stroked his chin and studied me for a moment until an idea hit him. "You know that painting of yourself in my tree?" he asked me.

"Of course I do, it's a lovely painting I must say but why do you ask?" I asked.

"You know how there seems to be rain falling around you in that painting?" he asked.

"Yes, did you put that there on purpose?" I asked.

"Technically yes if you count doing it during meditation but I have always wondered why there was rain around you but now I know," he said.

"Why then?" I asked.

"Come with me and I will show you," said Rafiki.

I followed the old mandrill to his tree where he led me to the drawing he had done of me when I first arrived. It still looked as new as the day it was made as like all the other drawings that he had done over the years. Rafiki pointed at one of the droplets and began to count them before speaking.

"There are fifteen drops of rain in this painting signaling fifteen sorrows in your life, first is Ahadi's death, next comes Mufasa's death, then comes your grandfather's death, then comes the wasting away of the pride lands, then comes Nadira's death, then comes Tahir's death, then comes your sisters exile, Scar's death, Kopa's death, Zira's exile, Nuru's death, Bahati's death, Tiki's death, Binti's death, and Dinari going away. Fifteen sorrows for a small bird like you, I am actually amazed you have made it this far," he said.

"But what about Conga, you did not mention her and she left me all alone, never sending messengers to tell if she is still alive or not," I said.

"Good question, maybe it means she will return to you or maybe the sorrow she gave you could not find any space to put itself in the painting, so that last droplet spends its time inside of you making you feel the way you do, you take up any more sorrows then your world will come crashing down, I have seen creatures have the same problem as you and they had an extra sorrow that they could not take any longer, you don't want to know what happened to them," said Rafiki.

"Could you please tell me, just so I could know the signs?" I asked as I twiddled with my feathers. I was getting a little nervous now, I was scared and I really did not want to be depressed forever.

"Well Binti's father for instance," said Rafiki.

I looked at him surprised, but Binti's father was abusive and Binti only told me that it was her mother and three children. She never told me anything else about her father.

"I can see you are surprised, Binti only told me because I asked her about her father, you probably never did, did you," Rafiki asked.

"Only about who he was but nothing about her fathers past," I said.

"It's always good to have a shaman around, it's always important to know about your extended family, just don't even tell me about Ban'ai again," said Rafiki.

I looked at Rafiki in a confused way, he only laughed. That monkey was really crazy sometimes.

"Well I asked her about her father and why he may have been so abusive, you see he lost about as many family members as you did before he even found a mate. Her father told her all these stories before her mother died because she said her brothers and sisters just kept asking questions about whether or not he had a brother or something. But any way Binti's father witnesses his father's horrible death, eaten by a python. That was the first death he witnessed and he had not even learned to fly. He witnessed more deaths after that but when his wife died it was the last straw for him, all his sorrows were used up so he vented his anger out on the first thing he saw which was Binti. He was so afraid of loosing her that he made her stay with him even though it did more harm than good," said Rafiki.

"So I could be abusive if all my sorrows are used up?" I asked.

Rafiki nodded. "That's one of the things, the other is wanting to be alone, hating everyone and doing bodily harm to yourself," he said.

"I really don't want any of those things to happen, I just want to feel the comfort of Binti again though, I don't want to spend the last days of my life all alone like this," I said.

"I can be your companion," said Rafiki who gave me the scariest smile he had ever given me. It really made me back away.

"Uh no thanks," I said nervously.

Rafiki made his usual laugh. "I am only joking, you take life too seriously too, you really need to lighten up sometimes, I bet doing the Hakuna Matata thing with Timon and Pumbaa would lighten everything up," said Rafiki.

"Maybe," I said.

"But I will say this, giving up on life does not fix things it only makes others feel bad," said Rafiki.

"I will remember that, I will try to take care of myself and respect my life," I said.

"Very good, now go do that morning report, I know Simba is waiting," said Rafiki who then did his usual act of disappearing out of thin air while I was left standing alone thinking about the words Rafiki told me.

But the words seemed to go in one ear and out the other because I still felt the same sadness as I had before Rafiki talked to me. I did find that the morning report was still a good thing to do for Simba who had a long talk with me about how much he loved me being his advisor. It made me feel better at little or at least wanted me to keep doing my job which I decided to do all day since it kept my mind off the problems I was facing.

A year went by and I began to notice that I was showing signs of age. My feathers no longer held that blue luster and I began to feel a stiffness in my wings, I knew I was getting old when I woke up one morning to find that one of my wings were so sore that it took me forever to actually go out and fly.

It was time for me to retire truthfully, I knew I had to be the longest running advisor in the pride lands surviving three kings, well two seeing as how Simba was still the king of the pride, he would probably out last me one day but I did not want to think about that.

One evening I decided to spend it alone in a nearby tree watching the sunset and thinking that I should start recruiting someone new to take my place. It was a hard thought seeing as how my whole life I spent advising Mufasa, Scar, and Simba.

Mufasa was probably the best king of them all, so kind but so powerful. I remember that thick mane of his blowing in the wind as he surveyed his lands. I remember how stern he became around his brother Scar but was so gentle around Simba. It was such a horrible way for him to go, killed by his own brother who wanted to be king.

Scar, just the thought of his name made me cringe. Such a depressing king. Treating the lands terribly and using hyenas as assassins, how in the world could any one live like that without feeling guilty. I never saw him look guilty save for the time he upset Zira. He usually looked more sad than guilty, but as I thought about him I realized that he was a very mysterious lion who let his dark thoughts cloud his mind.

Luckily Simba saved the day, at first Simba was carefree going by Timon and Pumbaa's morals but Kopa's death taught him that carefree life was not the way to go. It was true that he was a little too protective of Kiara but he did not want to loose another heir and I would not blame him. I was glad though that she was able to make piece between the prides. Kovu probably would have killed Simba if Kiara did not show him the idea of having a little fun.

I could definitely see Kovu as the next king; he had the kindness in him that had been locked away from him for the first years of his life. Of course Kiara was the real ruler of the pride lands but I could not help but think that Kovu would have more responsibility than her, probably because he was male which I have been so used to seeing since I arrived here.

Timon and Pumbaa were of course getting on in age as well. Though for some reason they did not show any signs of age. They still seemed to have the same spunk they had as when I first met them. Sure Timon found his first gray hair a few months ago that caused a good chuckle but he did not look as old as I was and neither did Pumbaa who of course spent the entire day trying to calm Timon down and telling him it was normal to get gray hairs at his age.

Speaking of age if you don't mind me saying so, Rafiki now has an apprentice, a young baboon who has quite a while before he turns into a wise monkey like Rafiki. The other day I decided to watch him train and instead of painting whatever was on his mind, he got paint all over himself and slipped on an open gourd. Poor Rafiki had to spend the rest of the day telling him how great he was going to be even though he was such a klutz at first.

I wanted an apprentice as well, I knew I had to find one soon. I just did not know where to look and how to ask. I guess I would have to find out eventually like I had done throughout most of my life.

Oh dear I nearly forgot about my sister Kalifa. Well she still made trips to see me, getting on in age just as I was; she even told me once that her trips may become less frequent. That was okay with me just as long as she had ways to connect with me I was fine with that. She did give me some bad news a few months ago. Mother died of old age, it came as no shock to me, we both knew her time would come soon, I was sad to hear her go but for some reason I did not cry, not as much as I did for my grandfather, the one who taught me most about life before I went into that great horizon.

What a life, so many adventures. I sighed as the sun was halfway down the horizon now. What else would be in store for me for the rest of my life? Would there be more adventures? Would there be more sorrow? Would I see Simba retire? I guess the future was important to stay for after all.

"Dad?" said a voice behind me.

I perked up and gave a startled look before I turned around. At first I thought I was dreaming as I saw a young hornbill standing next to me, Conga. She was a little bigger from the last time I saw her, her feathers were a little brighter but she still was the same save for a jagged scar that ran across her shoulder. I stood there for a moment; I thought I would never see her again and I was in total shock.

"Dad, I'm so sorry," she said as she launched herself at me and hugged me tightly. I instantly melted at the feeling of being hugged for the first time in the longest time and all the feeling of being mad at her had dissipated.

"It's okay Conga, I'm just glad you're home."

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A/N: Yay one more chapter to go and this story is over. Lets all do the Conga! LoL. Ew that sounds so wrong. I hope you all understood what Rafiki was trying to say and everything, if not then I am sorry. Oh Kahllynn drew a pic of Binti for me, you can check it out on her lion king fanart archive profile. Thank you so much Kahllynn I realized that I forgot to say that originally. She also said she might do some scenes as well so I can't wait to see those. Well please review and I will hear from you all later. 

Oh yeah and whoever gives me my 300th review will get a Christmas card from me. Just remember to delete most of your things from your mailbox, it doesn't have many bytes but for some reason it keeps coming back to me but hopefully I'll have it figured out by the time the 300th review comes around.

Also I was reading some old chapters because I was bored and I find it funny how I said I would not finish this while I was in the internship, man I must have thought that my life would be revolving around work. I guess I did not know that 40 hours is not that big. Eh oh well. Okay I will shut up now.


	41. The passing of the torch

And now the moment we have all been waiting for. Dun dun dun…………………………………..the final chapter. So enjoy and don't forget to review one last time.

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It was a foggy morning; the air was as thick as a hot day on the savanna though this time it was cooler and much more refreshing but harder to see. 

I stood at the tip of Pride Rock staring at what would be the horizon but instead it was blocked by the gray fog. I took a deep breath and inhaled the moister and it felt refreshing. I heard footsteps behind me and I turned around to find Simba walking to the tip. He shook his mane to rid himself of the dew and looked down at me.

"Finished with the morning report already, how did you even see out there any way?" Simba asked.

"Oh I'm not doing the morning report today Simba, I'm letting my apprentice do that," I said.

Simba smiled at me. "So finally let the chick do it on her own, it took you like what, twelve years?" he joked.

"Ha ha Simba, I just finally think she is ready," I said.

It was true though, after quite a long time, five months to be exact; I finally let Conga go out on her own in the early morning for the morning report. I was of course nervous not knowing what she would do out there, but I trusted her and so I decided to wait for her on the rock for her return.

"Well she seems to be doing a good job helping you, does she like doing it so far?" Simba asked.

"Of course, she's more than thrilled in becoming your majordomo," I said.

Simba only smiled while I continued to watch the fog with him. I could not believe that it had been five months since Conga returned from her adventure in revenge. What a story she told me! All about friendship, danger, forgiveness, and listening to your heart. Whether or not she succeeded in her flight for vengeance, well that's another story to tell. But it was enough to make a father cringe with worry.

"Hey I think I hear someone," said Simba as he cocked his head to one side listening. I did the same, but I heard nothing. Of course Simba's hearing was much better than mines so I decided to use my sight and watch for her.

Suddenly as if out of no where, I saw a figure emerge from the fog. It took me a minute to realize it was her but there she was flying toward Pride Rock, of course in the fog she missed it and I had to call out to her.

Conga gave a startled look and flew back down toward us where she landed right in front of Simba. Simba only smiled down at her while she tried to create the best posture of an advisor as possible.

"I have come for the morning report," she said.

I made a sound as if I was clearing my throat; Conga stared at me for a moment until she got the message.

"Uh….Sire," she said before giving Simba a sheepish grin.

"Well then give it to me," said Simba who then winked down at me ready to hear my daughter start the morning report by herself.

"Well it seems that the fog is so thick that the jackals don't know the difference between a carcass and a rock. In fact this morning I met one that was in quite a daze, he had lost a few teeth because he ran after a carcass only to learn that it was a rock, I feel so sorry for that poor thing," said Conga.

"Ah must be a yearling then, still learning the ways of the hunt, he will learn sooner or later. Anything else?" asked Simba who looked quite interested in what Conga was talking about.

"Well one of the giraffes gave birth to a little girl, she started standing only five minutes after she dropped, such a cute little thing and oh yes we seem to have a flock of parrots entering the area, they are enjoying the mud walls and of course since there are few bees that like to gather mud for their hives, Mahiri is complaining about the crowded conditions but I bet he will get over it eventually, he always does," said Conga.

I chuckled at Conga's statement about Mahiri, he was a bee eater that Conga befriended on her journey, he was such a silly little guy.

"Did they say how long they would be staying?" asked Simba.

"Well I did ask one and he replied in the scratchiest voice I had ever heard and in the most sarcastic manner that I decided it was best to assume for about a week," said Conga.

"Well then I guess I should go out and greet them, seeing as how it's always important to greet them no matter how rude they are," said Simba.

Conga only nodded at him.

"Any thing else?" asked Simba.

"I believe that is all," said Conga.

I made the throat clearing sound again.

"Sorry…Sire," said Conga who this time sounded annoyed about being corrected.

"Thank you for the report then, just patrol the land and if anything bad happens please report it to me," said Simba.

Yes Sire," said Conga. She got it right that time.

Simba then turned around and retreated to the den where Nala was waiting for him. Simba chuckled at her and together the retreated to the back of Pride Rock possibly for some alone time.

Conga then turned and looked at me; she gave me a hopeful look wondering if she did her job right.

"How did I do Dad?" she asked.

"You did splendidly," I said.

Conga blushed and rubbed the scar on her shoulder, something I noticed that she did when she was nervous or embarrassed about something.

"What's wrong, are you nervous?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"How come?" I asked.

"Because I know you will want me to start working by myself tomorrow, I know you won't be watching me for that, what if I do something wrong?" asked Conga.

She gave me a look of worry that was so pitiful looking that I suddenly felt kinda sad for her. I knew I had to pep her up.

"Come with me, we need to talk alone," I told her.

I led her to the top of Pride Rock like all important conversations were held only this time it was in the fog and the land could not be seen.

"Too bad its foggy out then you could see how big the kingdom is," I told her.

"I've never been up here before," she said.

"That's because I was waiting until you were ready," I said.

"So that means I'm the advisor now," asked Conga.

I nodded while Conga looked at me with worried eyes I could tell that she was not ready yet.

"Why are you so worried that you will do something wrong?" I asked.

"Because after watching you, I know I won't do as well as you did advising the pride for so long," said Conga.

"You are forgetting that I started advising without any experience at all, I learned through listening to the king and by mistakes. Making mistakes are a part of life you make them and you pick up the pieces and start over," I said.

"You're right, like that quest, such an idiotic thing I did," said Conga.

"But you were young, and young people do foolish things, sure it broke my heart especially after you said those things to me but we move on and hope that the scars from the past will heal," I said.

Conga nodded and looked down at the rock; she then kicked a small pebble from the loose stone and watched as it fell off the ledge. I could tell she was in deep thought not sure what to think of her new situation.

"Too bad mom's not here to see me take over," she said.

"Oh I bet she is watching you right now and I bet she is as proud of you as I am," I said.

"Yeah I guess you're right," said Conga who then looked up at the grey sky and smiled.

"Just remember that when you become an advisor you must remain tough, treat others with respect and keep your distance when listening to important things, it may turn out to be a secret that others did not want to share. And don't spread rumor's….." I said but Conga interrupted me.

"Because rumors spread lies that cause everyone pain. How can I forget those last words mother gave me, they were very important," said Conga.

"That's my girl, now are you ready to go out there and announce that you are the king's advisor?" I asked.

"Ready as I will ever be," Conga said nervously.

We both flew back down Pride Rock where we met up with Simba as I told him that there was a new advisor to the pride lands.

Simba then decided it was best that I announced it to the entire pride so he went into the den and called everyone out.

Conga and I stood with him as the lionesses circled around him, ready to hear some important news from Simba.

"Today marks a very important day, for today is the day that Zazu passes his advisor duties on to his daughter Conga. For most of you including me, you have known Zazu as the advisor since you joined or were born to this pride. So I guess that means you all can stop pestering him about spying on any one," said Simba.

A few of the lionesses chuckled at the statement. Conga did as well. She knew all about how I would sometimes spy on others to get information.

"But on a more important note please welcome Conga as your new advisor, respect her and she will respect you. Help her out because she is new and always treat her as a member of the pride," said Simba who then turned to me. It was time for me to make my farewell speech.

"Well as many of you know, I started when Mufasa was still a new king, my goodness that was years ago. And for many years I served under you all, I tried to save you all from Scar's reign, I saved Timon's life, and of course I tried my best in babysitting that incorrigible cub you now call a king," I said as I smiled at Simba.

Simba gave a friendly growl and then gave me a quick noogy which I quickly pushed aside.

"But now it is time to pass the torch to my daughter who will probably do a much better job than I ever will," I said as I then turned to Conga who only blushed.

The lionesses then all yelled back congratulating Conga on her new role. Conga was quite shy at this and thanked everyone but not loud enough for them to hear because most of the lionesses were quite loud.

"So Conga are you ready?" asked Simba.

"Well after all this congratulating, sure why not," said Conga, everyone laughed at her nonchalant voice.

"Then welcome to the pride," said Simba.

The lionesses cheered even louder as Simba then whispered in Conga's ear. Conga nodded back to him and flew off.

"What did you say to her?" I asked.

"Oh you'll find out," said Simba.

We all stood at the ledge for a moment waiting in the fog until finally Conga returned with a beautiful red flower and gave it to me.

"That's for being a Dad," she said.

I held it in my wings, it was a small flower, not very large but very beautiful. After Conga said those words I quickly swelled with pride as a small tear trickled down my face. Conga then gave me a huge hug before turning back to the pride.

"Well what are you all waiting for, let's celebrate," she said.

In an instant the some of the lionesses began to sing out in happiness while a few others danced. I turned to Conga.

"Hey it's better than starting your job right away," she said.

I only smiled while I watched the pride. I could not believe I was not serving them any more; I would probably serve them but not as much as Conga would now. I would still join the pride in conversations and I would still share the pain of loosing a member. But the advising duties now belonged to Conga. I would now live the rest of my life in quiet solitude with no problems at all, or as Timon and Pumbaa called it Hakuna Matata.

Well that's my story. Long wasn't it? Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, all the joys and the sorrows and the adventures. What a life! I wish everyone out there to take life to the fullest, take risks, and follow your dreams for you may never know where you may end up someday. Good bye.

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A/N: And God said "This story is over, lets all do the Conga!" Yeah so any way I am so glad this story is over, I have worked on this since April and now I am finally done and ready to go on to my next story which I will tell you what it is in a minute but first I must say thank you to everyone for encouraging me to keep going and for making this story the biggest review number I have ever received. 

Truthfully I did not expect it to be this long. I thought it would only last for about 35 chapters and then that was the end but no I kept thinking up new ideas which I kind of regret but I'm still glad I did them any way because at least you all liked them.

So now its time for a new story. It will still be in The Lion King section and it will be about Conga when she left on her vengeance quest. Well here's a better explanation.

Conga, daughter of Zazu and Binti is on a quest for vengeance, a quest to find the hawk who killed her mother. It's a journey that goes into the far reaches of Africa. From the hot steamy jungles, the dangerous Nile river, and the hot and unforgiving Sahara to find the killer. She isn't alone though, joining her will be an old but experienced hornbill named Baakir and a silly yet helpful bee eater named Mahiri, both with a sad past of their own. Together they face impossible odds and learn that forgiveness is just as important as family.

Well what do you all think? Personally I think its going to be a fun story to write and nowhere near as long as Memoirs of a Blue Bird. And it will not be a narrative I don't think I will ever do those again, just too hard and too time consuming. I still don't have a name for the story so suggestions are appreciated.

Also I will send you all a thank you for reviewing. I hope you all have a wonderful New Years and may 2006 be a wonderful year for you. I will be with my grandmother from the 3rd until the 14th so you won't see me between those times because my grandmother does not have internet but when I return I hope to have the story up as soon as possible for you all to enjoy.

Well like always please review and if any one has any questions about the Disney internship don't hesitate to ask because I will be happy to tell you everything you need to know about the program. Well see you all next year.


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